as in my presence onely but now much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling Argum. 9. For the maintenance of peace drawn from what went before in the manner of a conclusion Hitherto yee have ever hearkened to mee and when I was present with you yee obeyed my exhortations Therefore yee should much more now in my absence practise this my exhortation to the preservation of Peace among you seeing yee have fewer helps for your edification and more enemies to â—ow discord among you With fear Argum. 10. Yee should finish your begun voyage to salvation in an endeavour after righteousness with fear and trembling lest yee offend in the way or any way provoke God to anger Therefore you should preserve concord among you viz. in Faith Love and the study of good works as in vers 2. Vers. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Argum. 11. Yee have nothing in you that yee should boast of or for which through contention yee should contemn one another But every good thing in you is from God who of his own free and gracious good will causeth in you both to will that which is good and to perform it Therefore yee should preserve agreement in Faith Love and the study of good works and finish your begun voyage of salvation in fear and trembling lest yee provoke and anger God working in you Vers. 14. Do all things without murmurings and disputings Argum. 12. Which is proposed after the manner of an exhortation Yee ought to avoid and abhor not onely open strife and contentions but also all malicious and secret grudging Therefore c. Vers. 15. That yee may bee blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation among whom yee shine as lights in the world 16. Holding forth the word of life that I may rejoyce in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain neither laboured in vain Argum. 3. There is no other way to approve your selves true Christians in the sight of the wicked but by seeking peace and avoiding contention Therefore you should preserve concord and avoid contentions The general Christian duties which hee here requires hee commends unto them in different expressions yee ought saith hee to bee blameless such as no one can justly accuse and harmless or sincere in which appears innocence and purity and as the Sons of God without rebuke yee should resemble God your Father in holiness and innocence so that even wicked and perverse enemies may not justly reprove you or find fault with any thing in you yee ought as the greater and less spiritual lights both in word and work to shew your selves examples of righteousness to the world lying in darkness Lastly being illuminated by the Sun of Righteousness or by the living Word of God yee should by your words and works commend and communicate the light truth and virtue of this word to the perishing world that as much as in you lyes it may bee saved That I may rejoyce Argum. 14. If yee live unanimously and behave your selves as it becomes Beleevers I shall rejoyce in your salvation at the day of judgement when it shall appear that my labours in the Gospel have not been in vain but have conduced to your salvation Therefore unless yee grudge mee and your selves so much happiness labour for agreement in faith and the study of good works Vers. 17. Yea and if I bee offered upon the sacrifice and service of your Faith I joy and rejoyce with you all 18. For the same cause also do yee joy and rejoyce with mee Argum. 15. Containing a consolation lest they should bee troubled at the Apostles afflictions to this purpose I brought you by the Gospel unto Christ as a sacrifice that your evil affections being killed yee may bee presented unto God a holy and acceptable sacrifice And if the spiritual sacrifice of my Ministery and of your Faith may bee perfected by the blood of my Martyrdome as by an additional offering I shall rejoyce at my advantage in it and bee glad in your behalf for yours Do yee therefore the like for mee and rejoyce in the perfection of this unanimous sacrifice and whatever befalls rejoyce yee at the fruit of my labours This is the same with the Position vers 2. Fulfil yee my joy that yee bee like-minded having the same love c. The Second Part. Vers. 19. But I trust in the Lord Iesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you that I also may bee of good comfoâ—t when I know your estate The second part of the Chapter follows wherein hee comforts the Philippians by the commendation of Timothy who was about to come unto them adding hope of his comming and of Epaphroditus who was now come to them for the Philippians had need of these helps against seducers and ill-spirited idle men who lay in wait to ensnare them and to make work for them That I also The Apostle shews the end of his sending Timothy to bee this That they might receive comfort from the tydings of his freedome from bonds brought unto them by Timothy and that hee also by Timothies return from them might have comfort from the tydings of their prosperous condition Vers. 20. For I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your state The Arguments of Timothies commendation are three Argum. 1. Because there was no one who had so ready and sincere a mind for their salvation or their state and to further their comfort as Timothy Vers. 21. For all seek their own not the things which are Iesus Christs Argum. 2. Because that when almost all that were with him seeking their own profit and ease did refuse to take so long a journey for the Philippians comfort Timothy alone was ready for the journey preferring the business of Christ and the Church before his own ease and advantage Vers. 22. But yee know the proof of him that as a Son with the Father hee hath served with mee in the Gospel Argum. 3. Because they knew by experience that Timothy had formerly served them in the Gospel with the same mind that the Apostle did Vers. 23. Him therefore I hope to send presently so soon as I shall see how it will go with mee 24. But I trust in the Lord that I also my self shall come shortly Hee shews that the time of sending Timothy shall bee as soon as hee is assured of his freedome from bonds hee also gives them hope of his own comming for hee himself did hope that by the goodness of God ere it were long hee should bee delivered from prison Vers. 25. Yet I supposed it necessary to send unto you Epaphroditus my brother and companion in labour and fellow-souldier but your messenger and hee that ministred to my wants Thâ—s far of the hope of the Apostles own coming and of Timothies now follows the sending
shew of good works and they that affect Justification thereby fondly desire to bee justified as it were by works or a shew of good works The third cause because they knew not Christ by reason of his humility and the infirmity of his flesh in whom they should believe that they might bee justified but despised him and to their own destruction set themselves against him stumbling at him as at a stumbling stone Vers. 33. As it is written Behold I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offence and whosoever believeth on him shall not bee ashamed Both parts of this experience hee confirms from the Prophets prediction Isai. 8.14 and 28.16 after this manner Behold I will lay saith God Christ in the Church whose beginning is out of Zion a tryed stone a rock of offence as the incredulous Jews have experienced and whoever believeth in him in the expectation of him that is in his righteousness and life eternal hee shall not bee frustrated as the believing Jews have found by experience And thus the Apostle hath firmly proved that wee are justified by Faith CHAP. X. HEE further prosecutes the argument of the Jewes temporal rejection shewing this to bee the cause in that the Jews foolishly and stubbornly rejected the righteousness of God in Christ. There are two parts of the Chapter In the first hee shews the folly of the Jews to ver 14. In the other their stubbornness to the end of the Chapter Vers. 1. Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might bee saved The Apostle being about to shew the just causes of the Jews rejection hee prefaces as before from his good affection lest any thing should bee thought to bee spoken by him out of hatred Vers. 2. For I hear them Record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge Hee shews their preposterous zeal for God to bee the cause of his affection which zeal was worthy of humane commiseration though it was not to bee commended because it did not arise out of knowledge but ignorance therefore it was blind zeal the zeal of fools Vers. 3. For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God Hee proves the folly of the Romans by six Arguments The first Argument Out of ignorance of the righteousness of God imputed to us by Faith in Christ they affected the inherent righteousness of their own works and proudly rejected the righteousness of Christ offered to them Therefore they betrayed their folly Vers. 4. For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth The second Argum. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to him that believes i. e. the whole Law is therefore given that men acknowledging their sins manifested by the Law might flee unto Christ and might obtain righteousness by Faith Therefore the Jews did foolishly who making a shew of the Law did not acknowledge Christ which is the end of the Law Vers. 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law that the man which doth those things shall live by them Argum. 3. The righteousness of the Law or Works as Moses testifies confers life upon none but those that perform all things that are commanded in the Law which is impossible Therefore the Jews foolishly affected such a kind of righteousness Vers. 6. But the righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above 7. Or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring Christ up again from the dead Argum. 4. The righteousness of Faith as the same Moses witnesseth forbids those that believe in God from being troubled for those things which are so difficult or impossible as to ascend into heaven or to descend into the deep Because seeing Christ hath already overcome those difficulties descending from heaven and rising from the dead to bee any further troubled how to attain righteousness life eternal and freedome from death is no less than to destroy the foundations of the Christian Religion and to enquire how it was possible to descend from heaven or rise again from the dead Therefore the Jews betray their folly who renounce this righteousness of Faith Vers. 8. But what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of Faith which wee preach Argum. 5. The righteousness of Faith as it gives security to those that believe touching the difficulties in the way of salvation so also it holds forth an easie way to righteousness and salvation For the Word of God or the Word of the Gospel the same which the Apostles preached is neer us that receiving it into our hearts wee may acquiesce in it and confess the truth of it with the mouth As if hee should say to us Bee not troubled cast your care upon God and believe him that speaks in the Gospel and shew forth your Faith by your works Therefore the Jews rejecting this easie way of righteousness propounded are very foolish Vers. 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt bee saved Argum. 6. Opening and confirming the former The sum of the Gospel is propounded under this most sweet condition viz. If thou applyest with sincere affection to thy self the redemption procured by Christ and manifested in his Resurrection by the power of God and studiest to glorifie Christ with a sincere confession without doubt thou shalt obtain salvation Therefore the Jews refusing this condition of Justification and Salvation betray their folly Vers. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation This hee confirms with five reasons The first Reason is From the connection of Faith in the heart and confession in the mouth according to the order appointed by God which is that by Faith from the heart in Christ Jesus wee might obtain righteousness or Justification and that justified by Faith wee might proceed to the possession of Salvation glorifying Christ by confession of the mouth or outward works Therefore they ought to bee joyned Faith in Christ from the heart and confession of Christ in the mouth or inward Faith and outward works ought to bee joyned together Vers. 11. For the Scripture saith Whosoever believeth on him shall not bee ashamed Reason 2. Confirming the connection of true Faith and Salvation from the testimony of Isai. 28.16 which shews that they shall not bee frustrated in their hope or their expected salvation whoever believe in Christ Therefore the connection of Faith and Salvation is firm Vers. 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon
with one mind and one mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. The end of his prayer is that all strife and discord being removed with one heart and mouth they might glorifie God even the Father of Christ who hath given us the adoption of Sons and joyned us amongst our selves by the bond of Brethren with Christ. Vers. 7. Wherefore receive yee one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God Argum. 5. In like manner by the example of Christ drawn from what was abovesaid by way of exhortation Christ had compassion on us took us weak ones and unworthy into fellowship with him to the glory of God pardoning our sins Therefore wee ought to take into our fellowship of love and peace those that are weak and as they may seem unworthy passing by their infirmities Vers. 8. Now I say that Iesus Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the Fathers Argum. 6. Again also from the example of Christ Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision or to the Jews preaching amongst them and undergoing all the offices of a Minister by reason of the Covenant that was made with their Fathers Therefore it behoves all Christians to bee of the same mind with Christ towards the Jews which are weak in the Faith even because of the Covenant with their Fathers Vers. 9. And that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercy as it is written For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy Name Argum. 7. Again from the example of Christ who preached among the Jews not onely that hee might promote the completing of the Truth of God and the promises made to the Patriarchs but also to this end that the Gentiles converted by and with the Jews might glorifie God together Therefore it is most unworthy that the Jews and Gentiles should contemn one another for things indifferent Wherefore As concerning the Gentiles hee proves out of the Scripture that Christ intended to call them into the fellowship of the Jews by a fourfold testimony first out of Psal. 18.50 Wherein Christ under the type of David promiseth that hee will preach the Name of God amongst the Gentiles Vers. 10. And again hee saith Rejoyce yee Gentiles with his people The second proof is taken out of Deut. 32.43 wherein the Gentiles are commanded to rejoyce with the Jews as the people of God Therefore the Gentiles are joyned with this people Vers. 11. And again Praise the Lord all yee Gentiles and laud him all yee people The third proof is taken out of Psal. 117.1 The Gentiles are commanded to praise God Therefore they shall obtain mercy Vers. 12. And again Isaiah saith There shall bee a root of Jesse and hee that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust The fourth proof is taken out of Isaiah 11.10 Christ shall reign as King over the Gentiles and the Gentiles shall beleeve in him Therefore they shall bee converted Vers. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in beleeving that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost Hee concludes this whole Exhortation concerning abstaining from the unseasonable use of our liberty about meats in case of scandal with a most ardent prayer That God would recompence this their Christian abstinence from meats with the abundance of spiritual gifts which would create to them more joy from the comfort of Faith and the holy Spirit of Peace than they could otherwise finde in all the delights of what meats soever Vers. 14. And I my self also am perswaded of you my Brethren that yee also are full of goodness filled with all knowledge able also to admonish one another 15. Nevertheless Brethren I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort as putting you in mind of the grace that is given to mee of God 16. That I should bee the Minister of Iesus Christ to the Gentiles ministring the Gospel of God that the offering up of the Gentiles might bee acceptable being sanctified of the Holy Ghost The other part of the Chapter containeth the conclusion of the Epistle wherein hee first shews the cause of his writing and of his not comming yet unto them that although hee was perswaded that the Romans abounded in grace and knowledge whereby they were able to exhort and instruct one another in all those things whereof hee had spoken before Yet notwithstanding hee shews that hee hath written the more freely and fully to them First Because the advice which hee gave them was profitable unto them Furthermore because of his Apostolical authority given him by the Grace of God it behoved him so to attend to his Ministery among the Gentiles that they being converted and crucified according to the old man by his Gospel might bee offered unto God as a Sacrifice sanctified by the Spirit of holiness and accepted of God through Jesus Christ. Vers. 17. I have therefore whereof I may glory through Iesus Christ in those things which pertain to God That by what is said before his authority might appear hee commends his Apostleship upon a seven-fold account First from the spiritual effects produced by the power of Christ which with God is highly esteemed however men undervalue it Vers. 18. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by mee to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed Secondly From the conversion of the Gentiles whereof hee durst not speak more than was truth neither could hee say how much hee hath done or what Christ had effected by his Ministery to the conversion of the Gentiles Vers. 19. Through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God so that from Jerusalem and round about unto Illyricum I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ. Thirdly From the signs of his Apostleship viz. the power and miracles of the Holy Ghost by which the Gentiles were convinced touching the certainty of the Doctrine of the Gospel So that Fourthly From the multitude of the Gentiles which hee conquered by his Ministery amongst which were all those which lye betwixt Ierusalem and Dalmatia containing as it is thought the space of about a thousand four hundred miles besides the Provinces adjacent Vers. 20. Yea so have I strived to preach the Gospel not where Christ was named lest I should build upon another mans foundation Fifthly From his founding the Churches of God in those places the bringing in of whom as Christ was the only Author so was it only by Pauls Ministery and not by any other of the Apostles Vers. 21. But as it is written To whom hee was not spoken of they shall see and they that have not heard shall understand Sixthly Because in his Ministery was most evidently fulfilled what was fore-told by the Prophet Vers. 22. For which cause also I have been
gifts Vers. 6. Even as the testimoâ—â— of Christ was confirmed in you Argum. 8. Those gifts are conferr'd upon you for the confirmation of our testimony and your faith concerning this Gospel of Christ Therefore yee ought that you might more abound in the gifts of the Spirit to give credit and yeeld obedience to mee admonishing and teaching the things which are sound from the same Author Christ. Vers. 7. So that yee come behind in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ Argum. 9. You want no kind of Ecclesiastical and Spiritual gifts which are necessary for those that are travellers in the way yet notwithstanding you are not perfect you must expect your fulness at the coming of Christ Therefore that you may with joy receive Christ at his coming to Judgement you ought to yeeld obedience to my admonitions and doctrine which may promote your perfection Vers. 8. Who shall also confirm you unto the end that yee may bee blameless in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ. Argum. 10. I am perswaded I speak concerning the Elect such as in charity it is fitting I should think you to bee that Christ will confirm you and cause you to persevere in grace and will purge you from all spot and at length will present you without blemish in the presence of God Therefore to this very end ought you to hearken to my teaching and admonition Vers. 9. God is faithful by whom yee were called unto the fellowship of his Son our Lord Iesus Christ. Argum. 11. Confirming that hee had said before Your effectual calling into communion with Christ which is a lasting and saving gift as also the faithfulness of God who hath promised perseverance and confirmation in grace to that very end to those that are effectually called into the fellowship of his Son are pledges of this my perswasion of you Therefore that you may answer my expectation and your calling you ought to obey my counsel and doctrine The second Part. Vers. 10. Now I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ that yee all speak one thing and that there be no divisions amongst you but that yee bee perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement The second part of the Chapter follows wherein hee endeavours to re-call them from Schism exhorting that if Christ was dear unto them laying aside their making of parties they would follow after unity in Doctrine and the manner of reaching and to this end that they might bee knit together in the same affections in the same mind and the same judgement Vers. 11. For it hath been declared unto mee of you my Brethren by them which are of the house of Cloe that there are contentions among you That hee might not exhort them in vain hee shews that hee heard of their Schism from Authors of credit Vers. 12. Now this I say that every one of you saith I am of Paul and I of Apollo and I of Cephas and I of Christ. Now hee comes to the Schism they contend concerning their Teachers preferring some before others as if they were more perfect denominating themselves from them with envy and contempt of each other Which Teachers hee names not but by concealing them hee pacifies the minds of the Schismaticks that the Schism might more easily bee laid aside And as it were for example sake hee names himself and Apollos and Cephas although in the following part of the Epistle it is plain that their own vain babling Teachers were the Authors and furtherers of Schism who also brought Paul himself so far into contempt amongst the Corinthians that hee could scarcely keep his own place amongst them they were so far from having their denomination from him Vers. 13. Is Christ divided Was Paul crucified for you Or were yee baptized in the name of Paul Hee strives now to cure and take away this Schism the arguments of dehorting and reproving are five The first argument is this By this Schism the mystical body of Christ is rent and its unity divided into so many parts as there are Sects Therefore Schism is to bee cured and abolished Crucified The second argument None of your Teachers purchased the Church to himself by death Therefore this honour is due to none that the Church should have its name from him and bee rent in pieces for his sake In the Name The third argument You were baptized in the name of none of your Teachers that you should take your denomination from them Therefore for the sake of your Teachers you are not to bee divided into parties Vers. 14. I thank God that I baptized none of you but Crispus and Gaius 15. Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name 16. And I baptized also the houshold of Stephanas besides I know not whether I baptized any other The fourth argument Schismatick Teachers among you are to bee blamed who by affecting the baptizing of many confusedly endeavour to challenge to themselves the Disciples taken away from others as if they had been baptized into their name and that God by his Providence using my help but to the baptizing of few I give thanks unto him who hath freed mee from the suspition of this evil Therefore you are not to bee divided in parties for the sake of your Teachers Vers. 17. For Christ sent mee not to baptize but to preach the Gospel not with wisdome of words Hee adds another reason why so few were baptized by him because hee endeavoured to exercise his chief parts in the discharging of the trust committed to him i. e by preaching to convert one after another committing the care of those that were converted to bee baptized by others lest hee himself should bee distracted because Christ sent him not to baptize viz. chiefly to hinder his preaching but specially to preach the Gospel Not with wisdome of words The fifth argument Those Schismaticks your Teachers who endeavour to draw Disciples after them by their specious eloquence do not follow my example in the spiritual manner of teaching for I preach not with the wisdome of words or the elegancy of speech or acuteness of wit with set form of speech as the Precepts of Oratorie injoyn but in the plainness and simplicity of speech ordered for edification I preached according to the mind of our Lord Therefore for the vain eloquence of such Teachers your Church is not to bee rent in pieces Vers. 17. Lest the Cross of Christ should bee made of none effect Lest of none effect The third part of the Chapter wherein hee confirms his practice in the manner of preaching and also his duty viz. that hee might not preach with the wisdome of words but in the simplicity of the truth to the capacity of all his Auditors and to their edification not to please their ears and hee proves that it was no wonder that Christ sent him to preach the Gospel not with wisdome of words to this end
hee brings twelve arguments in this Chapter adding more in the following Lest of none effect The first Argument is from the rule of contraries if I compose my speech in preaching rhetorically to the rules of Eloquence the Cross of Christ had been made of none effect or as it is Chap. 2.5 the Faith of my hearers had rather stood in the wisdome of men than in the power of God i. e. the plain Doctrine concerning Christs humiliation to his Cross had wanted its glory of mens conversion and Humane Eloquence had carried away the Garland Therefore it is no wonder that Christ sent mee to preach not with the wisdome of words Vers. 18. For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God By answering an objection hee adds a second argument Some might say but the Doctrine of the Cross shall bee made contemptible and exposed to scorn as foolishness if it shall not bee commended to us with the splendour of wisdome Hee answers its true in respect of the reprobate and those that abide in the way of perdition but not so in respect of the Elect and converted who highly esteem plain preaching finding it to bee the effectual means of God to Salvation Hence the Argument riseth why the Apostle used simplicity of speech and not artificial flourishes in preaching of the Gospel God is wont powerfully to convert and to promote the salvation of the Elect by this plain manner of preaching Therefore it s no wonder that Christ sent mee to preach not with wisdome of words Vers. 19. For it is written I will destroy the wisdome of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent Argum. 3. God will curse those wise ones who despising the simplicity of Divine Truth dare in the place of it substitute their own wisdome in the preaching of the Gospel which hee proves by the testimony of the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 29.14 Where God threatens that hee will turn their wisdome into foolishness who mind only words in his Worship and not the power of godliness to inward sanctification Therefore it s no wonder that Christ sent mee to preach not with wisdome of words Vers. 20. Where is the Wise Where is the Scribe Where is the Disputer of this World Hath not God made foolish the wisdome of this World Argum. 4. Is taken from experience because God in the calling of his Church rejected the works and the persons of the most wise amongst the Jews and Gentiles by suffering the greatest part of wise Politicians and Scribes or Interpreters of the Law the Disputers of this World or Phylosophers to walk in their own ways for hee suffered almost the whole multitude of the wise men of this world to wallow like fools in the mire and dirt with their worldly wisdome and learning without the bounds of his Church or the Kingdome of Heaven In this Argument the Apostle alludes to the Prophesie of Isaiah 29.14 For if you ask Where are the Wise c they are not to bee found in the Church for their wisdome not directing them to the true knowledge of their misery and their only remedy in Christ is foolishness This is the force of the argument in the calling and building up of the Church neither did God use the wise men of this world nor their eloquence Therefore it is no wonder that Christ sent mee to preach not with wisdome of words Vers. 21. For after that in the wisdome of God the world by wisdome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe Argum. 5. Which is for confirmation of the former Because afterward in the wisdome of God which shines forth in the works of Creation and daily providence worldly men neither by that natural knowledge remaining in them nor by the help of Philosophy nor by any wisdome of their own have known God aright but having neglected all means of knowledge shutting their eyes God hath revealed another way of Salvation by the plain and as it were foolish way of preaching the Gospel as it seems to unregenerate men that hee might save the Elect through Faith No wonder therefore that Christ sent mee to preach the Gospel not with wisdome of words Vers. 22. For the Iews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdome 23. But wee preach Christ crucified unto the Iews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness Hee adds a sixth Argument illustrating what hee had said before not onely from his own practice but of the other Apostles who neither for the Jews sake seeking after miracles nor of the Gentiles seeking after wisdome studied to satisfie the curiosity of men with a polished stile but following the plain manner of preaching the Gospel prescribed by God himself they preached redemption by the humiliation of Christ nothing regarding that the Jews would bee offended at the meanness of the Cross nor that the Gentiles would account this kind of preaching foolishness No wonder therefore that Christ sent mee to preach the Gospel not with wisdome of words Vers. 24. But unto them which are called both Iews and Greeks Christ the power of God and the wisdome of God Hee excepts some of the Jews and Gentiles and annexeth the seventh Argument from the judgement and experience of the Elect powerfully called out of Jews and Gentiles who had experienced and acknowledged Christ preached in plainness of speech to bee the evidence of the power of God above all miracles and the manifestation of the wisdome of God above all which the Gentiles seek after worldly wisdome No wonder therefore that Christ sent mee to preach the Gospel not with wisdome of words Vers. 25. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men Argum. 8. By which hee confirms that this judgement of the faithful is true because the Institutions of God however they may seem most foolish and weak to the world are more prevalent than all the wisdome and power of men as wee may see in the Sacraments No wonder therefore that Christ sent mee to preach the Gospel not with wisdome of words Vers. 26. For yee see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called Argum. 9. Whereby hee shews that God made choice of this plain manner of preaching but not lofty and specious by his like good pleasure in the selecting of persons by his calling Hee chose not many wise mighty noble according to the flesh or outward condition and degree in the world but men for the most part of no wisdome power or greatness of birth as to the world yea not at all accounted of No wonder therefore if God chusing also the like manner of preaching hath sent mee to preach the Gospel not with wisdome of words Vers. 27. But God hath chosen the foolish things of
the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty 28. And base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to nought things that are With this Argument hee brings in the tenth from the subalternate end of this Counsel of God viz. that hee might shew that hee nothing esteemed those things which were highly valued by men that so whoever swelled with pride because of these things might bee ashamed confounded and looked upon as vile and of no account neither is it therefore to bee wondred at that God hath chosen this plain manner of preaching and that I should stick to it that the vain wisdome of words might bee shamed seeing that all the pomp of words is found only to tickle the fancies of men and avails nothing to the conversion of the heart Vers. 29. That no flesh should glory in his presence Argum. 11. From the ultimate end of Gods good pleasure in chusing things and persons and weak means to salvation which end is here negatively propounded lest any should glory in himself No wonder therefore that God hath sent mee to preach not with wisdome of words lest I should glory in my self when any are converted by my preaching Vers. 30. But of him are yee in Christ Iesus who of God is made unto us wisdome and righteousness and sanctification and redemption In the mean time hee comforts the Corinthians against this their abasement and mean condition before the World granting to them by way of recompence of nobleness of stock in regeneration riches in wisdome and righteousness and finally freedome from all sin and misery in Christ and for the greater confirmation of their faith hee discovers that Christ was appointed by God and given to them for righteousness and life for Christ is made all these things by merit imputation application and effectual accomplishment to the use of all the faithful Vers. 31. That according as it is written Hee that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Hee sets down affirmatively the ultimate end of Gods good pleasure in chusing weak means and persons and in debasing all men in themselves that as it is Ier. 9.23 all the glory might bee given to God from whence arises the twelfth Argument God so orders all things that no man should glory save in the Lord Therefore it 's no wonder that God sent mee not to preach the Gospel with wisdome of words that in the success of the Gospel wee might all glory in God alone CHAP. II. HEe goes forward to confirm the same doctrine which hee delivered in the foregoing Chapter viz. That in the preaching of the Gospel he rejected Rhetorical Elegance but was pleased with plainness and spiritual demonstration not that the Apostle defends the rashness or rawness of any in preaching as if wee might speak whatsoever comes to the tongues end without Method or sense in a rude stile and contemptible kind of speaking for the right way of preaching hath it's excellency which neither approves of dissembling or sordidness but condemns the affectation of eloquence which causes the hearer more to admire him that speaks than that which is spoken for the truth thought upon and rightly understood when the Preacher delivers it out of Faith and Love the simple willingly follow it and a speech fitted to the building up of all auditors which relishes better with the wisest hearers than all the flourishes of Rhetoricians This plain kind of preaching hee proves more excellent than artificial eloquence by eight Arguments the former of which are taken from the experience of Paul himself and the Corinthians to whom hee writes Vers. 1. And I Brethren when I came unto you came not with excellency of speech or of wisdome declaring unto you the testimony of God The first Argument I Paul when I came to you Corinthians to preach the Gospel by which you were converted to the Faith did advisedly abstain from the eminency of eloquence Therefore plainness of speech in preaching the Gospel is better than artificial Rhethorick Vers. 2. For I determined not to know any thing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified Argum. 2. I did not at all value it to shew amongst you or discover of my self the knowledge of any thing save of the person offices efficacy and vertue of Jesus Christ and specially of his Passions and Humiliation Therefore this way of preaching is most excellent Vers. 3. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling I being mindful of humane infirmities in the midst of dangers composing my self to humility without pride preached amongst you and carried my self pensively and tremblingly in my duty Therefore the preaching of the Gospel plainly is the excellentest way Vers. 4. And my speech and my preaching was not with entising words of mans wisdome but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power My speech and preaching never glistered with the acuteness of wit or humane Philosophy nor with fineness of words fitted for perswasion but in the evidences of Scripture and sound truth in which the Spirit shewed himself powerfully and worked in your hearts Therefore this kind of preaching is most excellent Vers. 5. That your faith should not stand in the wisdome of men but in the power of God Giving a reason of his practice why hee refrained himself from Humane Eloquence in his speeches hee adds the fift argument If I had made use of artificial expressions to convert you to the Faith Humane Eloquence had been the cause of believing the Gospel amongst you Corinthians and not the naked truth which is said to bee the power of God because God works powerfully by it in his people and so the Faith of the Corinthians had been grounded upon the deceitful foundation of Humane Eloquence but when any one by Eloquence is moved to believe hee may bee moved also by greater Eloquence to forsake the truth of Faith Therefore it follows that this plain way of preaching is most excellent Vers. 6. Howbeit wee speak wisdome amongst them that are perfect yet not the wisdome of this world nor of the Princes of this world that come to nought Argum. 6. From the comparing the Gospel and Humane Wisdome together That the Gospel hath its own proper wisdome eloquence and lustre in this plain kind of preaching any one of years may bee judge neither can it more admit of the dressing of Humane Wisdome than the most beautiful face admits of painting In those that undertake to preach the Gospel the help of Humane Wisdome is requisite not the splendour of it in preaching Wisdome His comparison of Divine Wisdome in its plainness of speech with worldly wisdome is eightfold The first Comparison They that are perfect or grown up in the School of Christ which have their senses exercised to discern good and evil this Wisdome of the Gospel they
many months tryal that hee had stayed amongst them In simplicity and godly sincerity I have alwaies behaved my self so as to approve my self to God my own and other mens consciences Therefore there is no reason that you should suspect any change either of my carriage or affection towards you Not with Argum. 2. Hereby hee confirms the former The fountain of my conversation was the Grace of God which is like it self and alwaies constant not that subtil wisdome whereby carnal men for their profits sake counterfeit respect to others which indeed they have not Therefore let no suspition bee amongst you about the change of my carriage and affection towards you Vers. 13. For wee write none other things unto you than what you read or acknowledge and I trust you shall acknowledge even to the end Hee confirms what hee had said before adding a third Argument Because his deeds and his writings were answerable to each other wherein hee seems to tax his adversaries who carried themselves otherwise as in the former Argument which hee proves by the testimony of the Corinthians themselves who although they were somewhat disturbed by the whisperings of adversaries yet they acknowledged his sincerity and constancy and hee hoped they would afterwards do the like Therefore c. Vers. 14. As also you have acknowledged us in part that wee are your rejoycing even as yee also are ours in the day of our Lord Iesus Argum. 4. Because in some measure although not with that confidence as became them against the false Apostles the Corinthians boasted of their conversion by the Apostle and the Apostle boasted of them as the fruit of his Apostleship and further hee hoped to glory in the day of judgement Therefore c. Vers. 15. And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you afore that you might have a second benefit 16. And to pass by you into Macedonia and to come again out of Macedonia unto you and of you to bee brought on-ward my way to Judea Argum. 5. Because hee had a purpose to go to the Corinthians in confidence of mutual good will that hee might compleat the first benefit of their conversion by confirming their Faith as a second benefit and that hee might receive expressions of their good will towards him in the duties which hee reckons up to the increase of their mutual love Therefore c. Vers. 17. When I therefore was thus minded did I use lightness or the things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh that with mee there should bee yea yea and nay nay Argum. 6. By answering the Objection proposed I have deferred my comming unto you longer than I would not out of the levity of a mind changed but as afterwards it shall appear out of love to you that I might spare you who ought to bee chastised with the censures of the Church had I come to you before Therefore ought you not to suspect the alienation of my mind from you The Objection is propounded in the same terms in which his adversaries did reproach him as vain and light speaking like carnal and unregenerate men and promising what hee intended not to perform as those that sleightly promise and easily change their mind neither whose words and by consequence nor doctrine carryed any certainty to whom therefore no credit was to bee given Vers. 18. But as God is true our word toward you was not yea and nay Hee answers the Objection and because hee is more careful that nothing should bee imputed to his Doctrine as also to his Credit hee answers first for his Doctrine and confirms the truth thereof by five Reasons Reason 1. Because his Doctrine was the Word of God it must of necessity bee true because God is faithful and true whose dictates and precepts onely hee taught among them not sometimes affirming sometimes denying as those that are not constant to themselves use to do Therefore they were to make no doubt of the truth of his doctrine Vers. 19. For the Son of God Iesus Christ who was preached among you by us even by mee and Sylvanus and Timotheus was not yea and nay but in him was yea Reason 2. My Doctrine and the Doctrine of my companions contained nothing but Jesus Christ onely who is the unchangeable Son of God and the eternal verity alwaies constant to himself Therefore you are not to make any doubt of my Doctrine Vers. 20. For all the Promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us Reason 3. Confirming the former All the Promises of God in and through Christ are firm unchangeable and compleat partly inasmuch as hee is the Son of God by whom all things are made partly inasmuch as hee is Mediatour God-man who compleated for us our Redemption and procured it by his merit that the good things promised might bee performed to us and really hee applies them to us Therefore our preaching which contains nothing else is necessarily certain and no doubt to be made of it To the glory of God Reason 4. As the Promises of God are yea and Amen in Christ i. e. that is really and indeed ratified and compleat and so they are acknowledged and preached by us it makes to the glory of God who will not have his Promises fulfilled but in Christ Therefore our preaching is so sure and firm as the purpose of God is in glorifying himself in his Son neither must you doubt any thing in the matter Vers. 21. Now hee which stablisheth us with you in Christ and hath annointed us is God 22. Who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts Reason 5. God is the Author of this our Faith in Christ confirming both the preaching of us Apostles and the Faith of you Corinthians as many of you as are sincere partly by communicating the several gifts of the Spirit as it were an unction from Christ partly by setting to his seal to our Faith making us certain of the Truth of the Gospel and stirs up ineffable and glorious joy in us which is as it were the earnest of our future happiness Therefore our preaching is sure nor ought you to make any doubt of it All these Arguments being weighed upon no ground could the Corinthians suspect that in the preaching of the Apostles so many waies divinely confirmed there could bee any uncertainty or falshood and so hee prevents an Objection as it tended to destroy the Truth of the Gospel Vers. 23. Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth Here hee answers the Objection so far as concerned his credit and carriage by shewing the reason of his not comming unto them viz. That time of repentance being granted to the Corinthians hee might spare them i. e. restrain himself from a severe course with them which at present hee was forced to use and hee confirms his Word with
is the Spirit because hee quickens those that believe to new obedience and life everlasting and hee delivereth those from sin and misery for when it is said Where the Spirit of Christ the Lord is or where Christ is there is liberty the liberty is to bee understood not from the obedience of the Commandments but from the ceremonial yoke from the bondage of sin and yoke of the Legal Covenant and all evils which do follow from its violation Liberty I say was given to the Faithful by the Spirit of the Gospel at leastwise that which belongeth to them of right although not alwayes according to sense nor ever before the end of life as to a full possession For although the Spirit with a loud voice proclaimeth that there is a gate opened unto us that wee may go out of prison yet wee by reason of the weakness of Faith do go slowly forth And this is the Explication of the first part of the Comparison concerning the Ministery of the Law Vers. 18. But wee all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Here followeth another branch of the Comparison concerning the Ministery of the Gospel in those that believe which is propounded in this sense But wee that by the Ministery of the Gospel believe in Christ the veil of ceremonies and ignorance the veil of infidelity and hardness of heart also being removed are freely admitted to the clear beholding of Christ and the glory of the grace of God shining in the Gospel as in a glass and beholding Christ by Faith wee are sanctified and more and more made happy in conformity with Christ encreased daily by degrees from one measure of glory and sanctity to another and that by the powerful working of the Holy Ghost Sanctification is called glory because Sanctification is the beginning of Glorification for by that the Image of God is repaired in us which is our glory CHAP. IV. HEE goes on to defend his Ministery There are two parts of this Chapter in the first hee proveth his faithfulness or sincerity in the Ministery by seven Arguments to the sixth verse In the second hee confirms the seventh Argument by answering the objections concerning the scandal of the Cross lying upon him to the end Vers. 1. Therefore seâ—ing wee have this Ministery as wee have received mercy wee faint not Argum. 1. The inward testimony of so glorious a Ministery committed unto mee by the mercy of God is effectual to sustain mee lest I bee overcome in the doing of my duty with the hurthen of evils and that by the measure of grace given to mee I go forward valiantly From hence therefore it appeareth that I am sincere and faithful For modesty sake hee joyneth others but hee himself in the conflict was especially aimed at by his Adversaries Vers. 2. But having renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God Argum. 2. I have renounced ambition covetousness and the other shameful lusts which some secretly indulging do cover this their disgrace in corners under other or the like veils and pretences Therefore I am faithful Not with Argum. 3. I have not walked in craftiness deceitfully handling the Word of God or bending and fitting that to the dispositions of men as the false Apostles do Therefore I am faithful By manifestation Argum. 4. I have carried my self so mildly in the cleaâ— preaching of the Word of God that the consciences of all men are compelled to acknowledge my integrity of which thing also I have God to my witness Therefore I am faithful Vers. 3. But if our Gospel bee hid it is hid to them that are lost 4. In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not leâ—t the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them Object But how comes it to pass that thy Doctrine is not understood by so many wise and potent men if it bee so clearly taught Hee answers that the ignorance of the Gospel so plainly unfolded to them was no argument of the obscurity of the Doctrine but of the incredulity of the hearer and his future perdition from the blindness of unbelievers blinded by the Devil whom the world serves For the Devil further blindeth the blind Infidels lest they should see God offering himself in Christ lest they should behold Christ to their Salvation shining in the Gospel who hath brought forth the invisible God as to our view by his Doctrine and Power manifested in the flesh that wee may behold God in Christ the true Image of God the Father Vers. 5. For wee preach not our selves but Christ Iesus the Lord and our selves your servants for Iesus sake Argum. 5. Of the Apostles fidelity I saith hee seek the glory of Christ alone and acknowledge Christ only Lord in the Church Truly I declare my self and other Teachers not only Ministers of Christ but also of his people that Christ alone may bee exalted Therefore I shew my self faithful Vers. 6. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. Argum. 6. Confirming the former wherein hee compares his Conversion from Pharisaism to the creation of light out of darkness God who by his Omnipotent Word hath produced light out of darkness by no less efficacy hath hee brought mee lost sinner out of the darkness of Pharisaism and sin and hath so powerfully enlarged my heart illuminated by the light of Christ his glorious Son that I cannot but communicate to others this glorious knowledge of the grace of God given to mee manifestly shining in Christ Therefore it behoveth mee to bee faithful Vers. 7. But wee have these treasures in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may bee of God and not of us Argum. 7. God by shewing my infirmity in all exercises and also by maintaining his strength in mee under frequent afflictions and by keeping mee constant hitherto hath rendred my faithfulness commendable with all men Therefore I can affirm my self faithful The Second Part. Hee so handles this argument that in the mean while hee solves two objections that hee might take away the scandal of the Cross. Earthen Object 1. In the mean while thy condition of life is miserable and contemptible as a certain earthen vessel Hee answers four manner of wayes 1. That it is true that hee is an earthen vessel frail and contemptible but not withstanding hee contains the Treasure of Grace and the knowledge of the Gospel May bee of God Furthermore hee answers that that happened by the Wisdome of God lest the glory of the
with Christ by Faith follows our judicial union with Christ from this union imputation is made of the obedience and righteousness of Christ to us and at length the application of all his gifts even to perfect felicity which being considered what can bee said more efficaciously to stir all of us up that our enmities being acknowledged and our necessities wee may imbrace reconciliation offered in Christ. The sum therefore of these three verses is That the Apostle when hee had weighed the dispensation of mans Redemption and the reason of bringing the Elect to Reconciliation and Salvation hee could not but imploy himself strongly and faithfully in his Ministery For when hee knew by the Covenant concerning the Redemption of the Elect between God and his Son the second person of the Trinity invested with the office of a Mediator and a Surety God being so abundantly satisfied hee now becomes gracious to the world of the redeemed or Elect concurring with Christ the Mediator for the applying of Reconciliation obtained for all the Redeemed and hee importunes them by Christ and by the Servants of Christ the Ministers of the Gospel no less seriously than the Redeemer himself and prayes them that now hee himself being reconciled they would bee reconciled When I say the Apostle knew these things and that there was a charge committed to him that hee should promote this reconciliation what wonder then if hee earnestly strived that men might be turned to God And when hee knew that by Covenant Christ had took upon himself all the sins of all the Redeemed and was made a Propitiatory Sacrifice for the expiating of their sins imputed to him under this condition that the Redeemed such all the faithful shew themselves to bee clothed with the Righteousness of God or the Righteousness of Christ should bee accounted most righteous in the mind of God and at length should bee fully renewed by the Holy Spirit what wonder then if hee confidently and constantly prosecuted the business of reconciliation and shewed himself faithful in executing his Ministery CHAP. VI. THat as yet further hee may commend the exercise of his Ministery more fully to the consciences of the Corinthians putting before their eyes a Minister faithful in work and example hee draws a three-fold exhortation from the premises that they may bring forth the fruit of his Ministery There are three parts of the Chapter of which the first is an exhortation seriously to receive the grace offered by him to vers 11. The second is an exhortation to receive him for the Apostle of Christ to vers 14. And the third is an exhortation to shun the contagion of Idolatry to the end Vers. 1. Wee then as workers together with him beseech you also that yee receive not the Grace of God in vain The first Exhortation is that they would receive the Grace of Reconciliation more seriously and with fruit and suffer not the Grace of God offered in the Gospel by their fault to want its full fruit in them that they may obtain Righteousness Peace Life and all things which Christ hath obtained for them The Proposition hee urges is this Yee ought not to receive the Grace of God in vain i. e. in outward profession onely without its internal virtue this hee proves by three Arguments Argum. 1. Wee Ministers of God being co-workers that his work may bee promoted in you granted from him to you by free gift promising our endeavour for the promoting of your salvation earnestly desired that of you Therefore yee ought not to receive the Grace of God in vain Vers. 2. For hee saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in a day of salvation have I succoured thee Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation Argum. 2. In a Parenthesis Because now the time is acceptable in which by the intercession of Christ the Grace of God is efficacious to the producing of fruit in all those that receive the Gospel with serious affection of heart and desire to bring forth fruit which hee proves out of Isa. 49.8 where the Father speaketh to the Mediatour interceding for them and by his Spirit breathing in them Therefore you must beware lest this opportunity of Grace bee in vain offered to you Vers. 3. Giving no offence in any thing that the Ministery bee not blamed Argum. 3. Ioyned with the first verse Wee Ministers which exhort you and I by name Paul wee are approved by all manner of waies and wee are found faithful in the Ministery of the Gospel not hindering you but that you may profit by our Ministery that so yee may pretend nothing but that yee may persevere in the Grace of the Gospel Therefore yee ought not to receive the Grace of the Gospel in vain but to contend for the receiving of and expressing the virtue of the Gospel Hee confirms the Antecedent by an induction of the virtues which prove Ministers faithful with which hee was first of all by the Grace of God adorned There are five parts of the induction In the first part hee removes from himself those vices whereby idle Teachers were wont to create offences to the Gospel demolishing more by their manners in the edifice of God than by their Doctrine they edifie and yeelding occasion to the wicked of speaking ill of his Ministery or of the office of Ministers Vers. 4. But in all things approving our selves as the Ministers of God in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses 5. In stripes in imprisonments in tumults in labours in watchings in fastings In the second part hee recites divers kinds of virtues with which his Ministery is adorned but namely hee mentions his patience exercised in nine kinds of evils in all which without murmuring hee patiently executed the offices of his Ministery for hee strongly endured the troubles of his journies with want and dangers the snares of his persecutors prison and â—umults stirred up against him and in preaching his labour watchings fastings neither did hee wax faint in the work of the Lord. Vers. 6. By pureness by knowledge by long-suffering by kindness by the Holy Ghost by love unfeigned In the third part hee adds other six virtues of his patience of which the first is his freedome from the pollutions of the world whilst hee conversed amongst those of the world 2 His discretion in handling his auditors 3 His forbearance in provocations 4 His gentleness in his commerce with more difficult things 5. His spiritual disposition in all things 6. His sincere love towards all Vers. 7. By the word of truth by the Power of God by the Armour of Righteousness on the right hand and on the left In the fourth part hee reckons the virtues which did belong to the discharge of his duty 1. Hee preached nothing besides the truth of God 2. Hee demonstrated the power of the Spirit in his speech 3. Hee contended against all his enemies with spiritual weapons i. e. with lawful
and redeemed together into Christ their Head otherwise wandring and separated from God is the summe and end of the revealed Mystery Therefore wee ought to render praise to Gods Grace by which wee are gathered together as well as others It is true that by the sin of Angels and Men the whole world like a mangled and almost dead body whose members are pulled asunder and torn one from another was almost brought to destruction but Christ confirmed the Elect Angels and stayed the perishing world but here the Apostle chiefly respects the restoring of elect men whereby Christ reconciled the men gathered to him unto God and compacted as it were into one Kingdome the elect Angels and spirits of just men in Heaven the Jews and Gentiles in Earth with a most strict union amongst themselves Vers. 11. In whom also wee have obtained an Inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own Will Argum. 11. Applying it to the Jews The Inheritance of eternal life in Christ is given to us elect Jews not of works or is it gotten by the power of our free will but is bestowed by divine order and dispensation upon us who are predestinated according to the purpose of God who worketh all things according to the counsel of his will Therefore wee Jews and all others ought to give praise to Gods Grace These things make for the advancement of Grace Wee have obtained an Inheritance 1 Eternal life or glorification is an Inheritance which wee have not procured to our selves but have attained to it by divine appointment and dispensation 2 Wee are not able of our selves so much as to receive this Inheritance when offered to us nor can wee so much as take possession of this Inheritance though it bee setled on us but wee are made possessors of it by appointment for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a passive What then is here which is ours and is not of Grace Being predestinated 3 Wee were predestinated by God that wee should bee called to this Inheritance God did not take us into counsel with him when hee decreed our happiness Worketh 4 God who predestinated us to this happiness worketh all things not alone by preparing this happiness for us nor onely by framing and fitting us for it but also by effectually ordering all those means which should conduce to the bringing of us into the possession of it After the counsel 5 Nor doth God go out of himself to seek causes of his purpose or of his operation but hee works all things after his counsel or after his free and most wise will Therefore our glorification or salvation is of Grace and not of Works nor from the choice of our free will for that our will is carryed to the choice of good and of life and that wee perform any good works is of the meer free good pleasure of God who worketh all good things after the counsel of his Will Therefore Grace is praise-worthy Vers. 12. That wee should be to the Praise of his Glory who first trusted in Christ. Argum. 12. From the last end of the Calling of the Predestinated Jews unto the possession of this Inheritance As God hath performed this Grace to us elected Jews that first or that before the Gentiles wee should beleeve in Christ to come and also that wee should first beleeve in him present or already come so according to the prerogative which by grace is granted to our Nation hee hath chosen us first into the right of the heavenly Inheritance to the end that hee might obtain the glory of his Grace in us and from us Therefore wee Jews and all others deservedly ought to bless and adore God and to give praise unto his Grace Vers. 13. In whom yee also trusted after that yee heard the Word of Truth the Gospel of your Salvation in whom also after that yee beleeved yee were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise Argum. 13. This is applied to the Gentils and particularly to the Ephesians You Gentiles also lately strangers to the Common-wealth of Israel are now called and chosen into the right of this Inheritance to the same end viz. the praise of the glorious Grace of God Therefore both you Gentiles and wee should joyn together to declare and set forth the Grace of God Now hee proves that the Ephesians were made partakers of this Inheritance as well as the Jews by six Reasons Yee trusted Reason 1. Yee have beleeved in Christ Therefore yee are made partakers of this inheritance Heard Reas. 2. God hath sent the word of his truth or saving Gospel to you that hearing yee should beleeve and obtain salvation Therefore you are not now as of old like Proselytes but had in equal honour with the Jews you do partake of the same inheritance Sealed Reas. 3. Taken from the pledge and earnest of salvation given them and from its first use After that yee had beleeved yee were sealed as peculiar ones to God by the gift of the Holy Ghost Therefore you are partakers of the same inheritance Of promise Reas. 4. From the other use of sealing The promises of the inheritance are sealed to you by the promised Spirit who confirms the promises to beleevers Therefore you also c. Vers. 14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory Reas. 5. From the third use of sealing or of the pledge of salvation given to us The gift of the Holy Ghost is the earnest of our inheritance to wit the pledge and part of our happiness which shall bee consummate hereafter Therefore c. Untill the Redemption Reas. 6. From the fourth use of sealing The Spirit shall remain with you for your comfort and not depart from you untill the covenanted Redemption bee fully perfected and compleated in an absolute freedome of your souls and bodies from all the bonds of sin and misery Therefore you have a right unto this inheritance To the praise In the last place hee shews us that the end of all these benefits is the praise of Gods glorious grace that God should bee blessed and acknowledged and his grace have the praise in all the fore-mentioned particulars viz. in our Election Predestination Redemption Vocation Donation of Faith remission of sins Adoption gathering unto Christ and fellowship with his people participation of the inheritance and sealing by the holy Ghost Vers. 15. Wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Iesus and love unto all the Saints The Apostle proceeds to the second part of this Chapter where hee endeavours to strengthen the Ephesians faith the proposition to bee confirmed may bee taken into this sense in this or the like Rule you Ephesians ought to bee confirmed in the faith of the Gospel The Arguments to prove this proposition are Fifteen Faith in Argum. 1. Your faith in Jesus Christ is not that dead
defile themselves The Reasons hereof are eight The first went before lest they bee made partakers of the future wrath hanging over the disobedient Vers. 8. For yee were sometimes darkness but now are yee light in the Lord Walk as children of light Reas. 2. From their changed condition because before your conversion to faith you were slaves and bond-men to ignorance and wickedness but now in Christ yee are beautified with the light of wisdome and holiness that yee should commend this light to others where hee gives a hint of the same Precept affirmatively viz. That they should not walk as the sons of darkness but as the sons of light obeying the word of God which affords light to the right ordering of our lives therefore you should not bee companions of the obstinate Vers. 9. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness righteousness and truth Reas. 3. Because the fruit of the Holy Ghost by whom yee are translated from darkness to light consists in goodness righteousness and truth Therefore yee should bring forth these fruits and not bee companions of the obstinate in the fruits of the flesh Vers. 10. Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. Reas. 4. In which hee explains the Precept touching walking in the light Because endeavouring to walk as Sons of the Light yee may experimentally know and certainly try what is acceptable to God what not Therefore bee not yee by walking in darkness of the fellowship of the disobedient Vers. 11. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them Reas. 5. Here also the Precept is repeated and explained Because walking as the Sons of Light yee will not onely not partake of the sins of others but by the example of your holy life you will condemn the sins of others Bee not yee therefore their companions but rather abhor their manners Vers. 12. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret Reas. 6. Because the works of darkness which the rest of the unconverted Heathens secretly commit for their filthiness are not worthy of a Christians ear Therefore you ought not to have any intercourse with their sins but rather reprove them as the Sons of Light Vers. 13. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the Light for whatsoever doth make manifest is Light Reas. 7. Because the rebuke of secret sins which is given by your openly-declared holy life doth prick the consciences of the wicked and doth manifest that their works are evil and this doth very much conduce to their conversion for thus it brings them to the knowledge of themselves Is Light Hee confirms this reason and proves that an holy life is Light Because it hath the property of Light so far as it manifests to the wicked that their works are evil Vers. 14. Wherefore hee saith Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee Light Reas. 8. Confirming the former Because the voice of the Holy Ghost in the Scriptures or the Prophetical and Apostolical Doctrine both taken together have this tendency and drift that those that sleep and are dead in sins should bee raised to repentance and come unto Christ by Faith that so they may bee enlightened and saved by the Light of Christs Grace Therefore all the Sons of Light ought both in words and deeds to commend this Doctrine to others and propagate it to the salvation of others shunning in the mean while all intercourse with sinners Vers. 15. See then that yee walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise Prec 6. Making for the observation of the former That they should take care to walk accurately as becomes those who are indued with the Wisdome of God revealed in the Gospel and not being deceived decline from the way as those who are ignorant of Gods Will. Vers. 16. Redeeming the time because the daies are evil Prec 7. Having the same drift That they should not suffer their time to bee spent in idleness and pleasures and to pass unfruitfully but with the loss of pleasures or of sluggish idleness or unprofitable business they should take hold of and as it were redeem opportunities of well doing Hee gives the reason Because the times are full of dangers through the malice of men who no one knows how soon may take away their liberty goods yea life it self and deprive them of all opportunity of doing good Vers. 17. Wherefore bee yee not unwise but understand what the Will of the Lord is From this reason hee inferrs a conclusion Therefore saith hee bee wise and not fools observing what God requires of you that yee should perform it diligently without delay while time is afforded Vers. 18. And bee not drunk with Wine wherein is excess but bee filled with the Spirit Prec 8. Forbidding them to bee drunk with Wine or any other drink The reason is because in this drunkenness is the destruction of estates credit body and soul. Bee filled Prec 9. This is delivered by way of Antithesis that rather they should bee filled and exhilerate themselves with the saving water of the Holy Ghost that is they should strive to abound in the experience of joy which is from Gods Spirit in which fulness there is no excess Vers. 19. Speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord The reason of the Precept is from those better fruits which spiritual joy produceth such are all sorts of spiritual Songs especially those which are in the holy Scriptures with which they should mutually edifie one another and glorifie God from their heart or spiritual affection A Psalm is a sacred song in general especially that which is by playing on the harp A Hymn properly contains Gods praise An Ode or Song is a common name Vers. 20. Giving thanks alwaies for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Iesus Christ Hee shews the special use and end of Christian Songs that wee should alwaies in what condition soever wee are through Jesus Christ give thanks to God our Father for all his benefits The Second Part. Vers. 21. Submitting your selves one to another in the fear of God The second part of this Chapter follows wherein that hee may descend to oeconomical Precepts hee premises an exhortation touching submission to one another in general that still keeping that order which God had placed them in they should each one in his office help one another for where-ever there is love there will bee care to serve one another Hee adds in the fear of God because it is requisite that from this fountain should flow sincere obedience of this Precept from the heart to the glory of God for is is onely the fear of Christ which can bring our fierceness into subjection that wee should not refuse the yoak and can bring down our pride that wee should not bee ashamed to
Paul as his Brother not onely for profession of Faith but also for the office of preaching the same Gospel Vers. 2. To the Saints and faithful Brethren in Christ which are at Coloss Grace bee unto you and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Iesus Christ Furthermore the persons saluted are described or the Members of the Colossian Church and are called 1 Brethren Because they are begot again by the same Father to the same hope of the inheritance 2 Holy Because they are consecrated to God and sanctified by the Holy Ghost 3 Faithful Because they were ingrafted into Christ by Faith Lastly By an Apostolical blessing Grace and Peace are applied to the Colossians Grace comprehends all the special effects of Gods favour which by way of Sanctification tend to happiness But Peace comprehends all the degrees of happiness even to perfection in Heaven God the Father and Jesus Christ is counted the Author and efficient cause of good things as hee is the Son and Mediatour hee is after the Father in effecting according to order of working Vers. 3. Wee give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ praying alwaies for you Vers. 4. Since wee heard of your Faith in Christ Iesus and of the love which you have to all the Saints The first way of his confirming the Faith of the Colossians is by giving thanks for their sincere conversion Of this kind there are seven Arguments all which do prove that the Colossians ought to bee strengthened in Faith Argum. 1. You gave mee much cause of thanksgiving and prayer to God after I heard of your conversion to the Faith Therefore even upon this account you ought to bee stedfast in the Faith And love Argum. 2. The sincerity of your Faith in Christ appeared openly in your love towards all the Saints the report whereof came to my hearing Therefore it is fit you should bee stablished in the Faith Vers. 5. For the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven whereof yee heard before in the word of the Truth of the Gospel Argum. 3. I know of a truth that the happiness yee hope for is laid up in Heaven for you and as it were conferred upon you I give thanks to God for that favour Therefore c. Yee heard Argum. 4. Confirming the former You have the unquestionable Word of God the Word of gospel-Gospel-Truth for the foundation of your Faith and Hope Therefore ought you to bee stedfast in the Faith Vers. 6. Which is come unto you as it is in all the world and bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you since the day yee heard of it and knew the Grace of God in truth Argum. 5. The Word of the Gospel whereby yee are converted is the same Gospel which was dispersed abroad to the rest of the world and hath the same efficacy to make you fruitful from the day wherein by Faith yee imbraced the Grace of God which hee hath communicated to other Christian-Churches Therefore it is fitting you should bee established in the Faith Vers. 7. As yee also learned of Epaphras our dear Fellow-servant who is for you a faithful Minister of Christ Argum. 6. Your Pastor Epaphras taught you no other things than wee Apostles every where teach who therefore willingly acknowledge Epaphras our fellow-servant and a faithful Minister of Christ Therefore c. Vers. 8. Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit Argum. 7. You have given a special token of your sincere Faith viz. the demonstration of your Christian love towards mee whereof I have the testimony of Epaphras your Minister which as all the former affords mee Arguments of thanksgiving unto God and of the confirmation of your Faith towards God Vers. 9. For this cause wee also since the day wee heard it do not cease to pray for you and to desire that yee might bee filled with the knowledge of his Will in all wisdome and spiritual understanding The second way of confirming the Colossians Faith and of the Apostles love towards them is his earnest and constant prayer for them excited upon the report of their Faith in Christ and love towards the Saints there are six branches of his prayer 1 I pray that yee may obtain a large measure of knowledge of the Divine Will revealed in the Word of the Gospel concerning Christ and his benefits In all Wisdome 2 I pray that this knowledge may abound in you in wisdome and spiritual understanding i. e. in an holy contemplation of the mysteries of Faith and in a prudent application of knowledge received to practice in the exercise of every virtue Vers. 10. That yee might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God I pray 3 That you may walk or lead your lives worthy of the Lord or as it becomes those that are converted in the sight of God that in all things you may please him Every I pray 4 That you may bee fruitful not in one but in all kinds of good works May increase I pray 5 That you may grow up in experience and acknowledgement of the Divine Virtue through obedience of his Will endeavouring more and more to know love and cleave to him more and more Vers. 11. Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness I pray 6 That such a measure of heavenly strength may bee vouchsafed to you out of the rich treasury of his glorious power that you may bee able to endure any burden of afflictions or persecution with a good courage and that so long as it shall seem good to the pleasure of God not onely without disturbance of mind but with the greatest delight and rejoycing Therefore yee ought to bee established in the Faith unless you think the prayers which the Holy Ghost stirs up in my heart for you are in vain Vers. 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light The third way of confirming their Faith is a thankful declaration of the certainty of our Redemption founded in the Grace of God and the excellency of Christs person The reasons of the thanksgiving are five Reas. 1. Because God the Father hath prepared us to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven This benefit is more especially seen in the following Reasons 1 The donor of the benefit is God the Father the Author and first Fountain of all good bearing a Fatherly affection towards us 2 When wee are said to bee made meet c. Our misery is presupposed and that wee are unfit by nature born wretched and polluted by sin and the sons of wrath 3 Although wee were unmeet yet the Grace of God hath made us meet by an efficacious vocation and regeneration of us 4 The felicity whereunto wee are called is an enduring inheritance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is given by
before I never used flattering words amongst you of which thing I call you to witness Nor Sign 6. I never did any thing for the sake of covetousness under the cloak of piety as the false Apostles were wont of which thing hee calls God to witness Vers. 6. Not of men sought wee glory neither of you nor yet of others when wee might have been burdensome as the Apostles of Christ. Neither Sign 7. I was so far from ambition and also covetousness that I never required the honour due to mee or an honourable stipend either of you or of others when as an Apostle of Christ I could have lawfully been burdensome unto you Vers. 7. But wee were gentle among you even as a Nurse cherisheth her children Sign 8. Whilst I was conversant amongst you I did carry my self gently as one of you yea as one equal to the lowest of you laying aside all haughtiness morosity and imperiousness and all respect either to the Nobility of my Kindred or the excellency of my office and gifts vouchsafed to mee and all other priviledges the consideration whereof uses to bee accounted of in civil conversation Vers. 8. So being affectionately desirous of you wee were willing to have imparted unto you not the Gospel of God onely but also our own souls because yee were dear unto us Sign 9. As a mother cherisheth her children warmeth them with her breath nourisheth them with her milk and if shee could is ready to communicate her soul to them So I affectionately taking care of all the concernments of the Church with the greatest satisfaction together with the preaching of the Gospel I was willing to impart unto you as it were my soul because of my vehement love towards you Vers. 9. For yee remember Brethren our laâ—our and travel for labouring night and day because wee would not bee chargeable unto any of you wee preached unto you the Gospel of God Sign 10. Explaining and confirming the former the whole time which remains to mee from the preaching the Gospel I did bestow labouring with my hands lest any one of you bee burthened by allowing mee maintenance as an Apostle Vers. 10. Yee are witnesses and God also how holily and justly and unblameably wee behaved our selves among you that beleeve Sign 11. I carried my self amongst you in all things justly holily and unblameably whereof I call you to witness as to external things and I call God to witness of my more inward sincere love to you in all things Vers. 11. As you know how wee exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a Father doth his children Sig. 12. As yee may remember I did exhort and comfort privately every one of you no otherwise than as a Father is wont to exhort and comfort his children Vers. 12. That yee would walk worthy of God who hath called you unto his Kingdome and Glory Sig. 13. I left nothing undone that might shew greatest faithfulness and diligence that yee might lead an holy life and that yee might please God in all things who hath called you by his grace to a participation of his Kingdome and celestial Glory These are the Signes of Pauls celestial Ambassage and of his Apostolical Office faithfully administred by him amongst the Thessalonians The Second Part of the Chapter Vers. 13. For this cause also thank wee God without ceasing because when yee received the Word of God which yee heard of us yee received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that beleeve The Second part of the Chapter in which are contained manifest Signes of the Divine grace towards the Thessalonians in their conversion which afterwards hee publishes with Thanksgiving and confirms them against the scandal of the Cross and persecution which they suffered from the enemies of the Gospel which were of the same Tribe The Signes of the Divine grace towards the Thessalonians in their conversion are three Sign 1. That you have attentively heard sayes hee the word of the Gospel preached by mee not as the word of man but as the word of God and yee have received it with a true faith Which also Sign 2. That the word of God received by faith efficaciously works in you and testifies it self to bee Divine by its efficacy no less in you than it hath manifested it self in other beleevers Vers. 14. For yee brethren became followers of the Churches of God which in Iudea are in Christ Iesus for yee also have suffered like things of your own Country-men even as they have of the Iews Sign 3. Confirming what was said before That hitherto yee have been constant in bearing persecutions from your friends kinsfolks those of the same Tribe for the Gospels sake and have shewn your selves like to the Christian Churches in Iudea who did constantly suffer persecutions from the other unbeleeving Jews of whom some are spiteful to you Vers. 15. Who both killed the Lord Iesus and their own Prophets and have persecuted us and they please not God and are contrary to all men That hee may remove the scandal of persecution whereby the Christian Churches were vexed by the unbeleeving Jews who called themselves the people of God hee takes off the vizard from those perverse enemies of the Gospel setting out their sins with a most severe accusation whereof there are seven branches 1 The unbeleeving Jews killed Christ himself 2 They have not spared their own Prophets being their Country-men 3 They persecute us Apostles which say that the Thessalonians should receive consolation from the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ and the sufferings of his servants 4 They are adversaries unto God and then they think that they please God most when they persecute his servants 5 That as publick enemies of man-kinde they hinder as much as they can the common salvation of men Vers. 16. Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might bee saved to fill up their sins alway For the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost 6 They are enemies to the Gentiles to their utmost forbidding the Apostles to preach the Gospel of salvation to the Gentiles lest they should bee saved so far as it lyes in them 7 By doing these and many other things they daily more and more fill up the measure of their sins Having recited their faults hee annexes the judgement and wrath of God which now had come upon them even to the utmost The Third Part of the Chapter Vers. 17. But wee brethren being taken from you for a short time in presence not in heart endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire The third part of the Chapter wherein lest they should think that they were neglected by the Apostle in their afflictions because hee did not come to them in the midst of such afflictions hee confirms his love and affection towards them in six Arguments Arg. 1. My absence from you
God and his Doctrine bee not blasphemed Precept 1. Concerning the instructing of Christian servants who are servants by condition and under the yoak of another the Precept is this That they account their own Masters though Infidels worthy of all honour whom they serve as those that are placed by the providence of God in a degree above them That the name of God The reason of the Precept is this lest if they should do otherwise the Gospel might bee evil spoken of and reproached by Infidels through the miscarriage of Christian servants Vers. 2. And they that have beleeving Masters let them not despise them because they are brethren but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved partakers of the benefit These things teach and exhort But if their Masters bee beleevers Hee retorts what servants were ready to object And because being Brethren in Christianity doth not take away diversity of conditions in civil policy hee forbids servants to despise their Masters upon that account because they are equal in Christ and he commands that they serve them so much the more readily because their Masters were faithful and beloved of God and for this cause so much the more worthy to receive the fruit of their service Hee enjoyns Timothy himself to teach these things and to exhort other Pastors to teach the same Vers. 3. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Iesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to godliness Precept 2. Of a voiding perverse Teachers i. e. to put them from or to eject them out of the Ministery or to excommunicate them from the Church Many such there were in those times who taught otherwise who departed either from the Apostolical verity in the matter of their word or from Apostolical simplicity in the manner of their teaching other things or otherwise than the Apostles not resting satisfied in the simplicity of Christian Piety from whose carriages and manners the meritorious causes of the chastisemâ—nt hee gives six Reasons And consent not Reas. 1. They are obstinate who submit not themselves to the wholesome words of Christ or to sound Doctrine which in the maâ—â—er and manner of teaching is after Godliness Vers. 4. Hee is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envy strife railings evil surmisings Reas. 2. Because they are proud puffed up with a vain opinion of their own knowledge whereas they know nothing solidly in the mystery of the Gospel Doting Reas. 3. They are of such a contentious disposition that they dote about foolish questions and strifes of words Whereof Reas. 4. Because by these cavillations they stir up envy contention railing evil surmizings Vers. 5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth supposing that gain is godliness from such withdraw thy self Reas. 5. Because by their perverse disputings they discover themselves to bee of a perverse and corrupt mind destitute of the truth and more studious of gain than godliness yea to bee such who make a gain of godliness Whereupon hee infers the censure of withdrawing from them which is the consequence of excommunication Vers. 6. But godliness with contentment is great gain Precept 3. Of following after godliness as the greatest gain and avoiding covetousness The Reasons of the Precept are eight Reas. 1. Because godliness is such a gain sufficient to it self rendring the mind contented in every condition or it is a gain that carries along with it true sufficiency and contentment Vers. 7. For wee brought nothing into this world and it is certain wee can carry nothing out Reas. 2. Because riches onely have their use in this life not after death Therefore wee ought not to hunt after riches Vers. 8. And having food and raiment let us bee therewith content Reas. 3. Because wee may bee without riches even in this life and ought to bee content with meat and cloathing whatever it is Vers. 9. But they that will bee rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition Reas. 4. Because they that most mind getting of riches and resolvedly hunt after them are near to the greatest sins vexations of mind and misery in this world and eternal perdition hereafter Vers. 10. For the love of mony is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they have erred from the Faith and peirced themselves thorough with many sorrows Reas. 5. Because the love of mony is the root of all evil as of ungodliness lying perjury cruelty and tyranny c. Which some Reas. 6. From the experience of some who being covetous of mony fell away from the Christian Religion and became most miserable Vers. 11. But thou O man of God flee these things and follow after Righteousness Godliness Faith Love Patience Meekness Reas. 7. With a special Application Because this vice is unworthy a Minister who is a man of God and separated to the heavenly imployments of God who therefore ought to avoid covetousness and earthly desires Follow Reas. 8. Because it becomes the man of God or Minister of the Gospel to bee in love with the riches of virtue and to accumulate these one upon another whereof hee enumerates six Vers. 12. Fight the good sight of Faith lay hold on eternal life whereunto thou art also called and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses Precept 4. That all lawful means being used for the propagating of the Gospel and defending the truth of his Doctrine hee should strive against all adversaries and impediments whatsoever Good The Reasons of the Exhortation or Precept are four Reas. 1 Because this fight is good commendable and profitable Life Reas. 2. Because so thou shalt lay hold on eternal life Whereunto Reas. 3. Because thou art called to the defence of the Gospel to the partaking of life or faith Professed Reas. 4. Thou hast already before many witnesses published a famous testimony of thy Faith Therefore go on to fight that good fight of Faith Vers. 13. I give thee charge in the sight of God who quickeneth all things and before Christ Iesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession 14. That thou keep this Commandement without spot unrebukeable until the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ Precept 5. With a most grave and vehement charge before God and Christ the Mediatour hee exhorts Timothy and all Pastors after him and all others upon whom the care of the Church lyes whom hee speaks to in his person that they observe these commands or that they so discharge the office committed to them faithfully observing these Rules touching the governing of the Church that they may bee found unblameable and unreproveable in doctrine and manners And because that which hee exhorts to was difficult hee laies down six Arguments of the Precept all which prove that all the former commands are
hardness as a good souldier of Iesus Christ. Branch 3. That hee neither fear nor flye from the pains which was required to this double work nor the afflictions or persecutions that followed it but receive and bear them with a good courage As a souldier The Arguments of the Exhortation or Admonition are eleven all which prove that hee ought valiantly to manage his warfare in the Ministry of the Gospel Arg. 1. Because thou are a souldier of Jesus Christ to whom as to thy General thou hast bound thy self by a Military oath And it becomes a Christian souldier to follow the example of Christ not fiercely to strive against his Adversaries but patiently inuring himself to the Cross and in the carrying on of his work contending with difficulties to proceed forwards Therefore thou oughtest to behave thy self couragiously in managing thy warfare in the Ministry of the Gospel Vers. 4. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life that hee may please him who hath chosen him to bee a Souldier Arg. 2. Propounded by way of comparison because otherwise thou canst not please thy General Christ unless setting aside all thy occasions that might call thee away from the work of Christ thou addict thy self wholly to his service Therefore c. Vers. 5. And if a man also strive for masteries yet is hee not crowned except hee strive lawfully Arg. 3. Propounded by way of comparison to the sports and noble striving which were amongst the Heathen because thou canst not bee crowned if wearied in the first onset thou retreat out of the field to rest and ease but it behoves thee to strive lawfully and to prosecute the contention so far as the Law prescribes i. e. persevere so long as thou livest in this Christian warfare that aâ— length thou mayest bee crowned Conquerour Therefore c. Vers. 6. The Husbandman that laboureth must bee first partaker of the fruits Arg. 4. Propounded by way of similitude as the former Because it is necessary that thou first labour if thou wilt receive fruit which as an Husbandman without doubt thou shalt reap if thou followest thy work with a good courage Therefore c. Vers. 7. Consider what I say and the Lord give thee understanding in all things That Timothy may gather and conceive more by these similitudes than could bee set down or need to bee explained hee leaves the applications of these similitudes to Timothy and further prayes unto God that hee would open his eyes to see those lessons which here and otherwhere hee might learn for the discharging of his duty for these comparisons were weaker than to reach the excellency of the Christian warfare and the reward of those that labour in the Ministry Vers. 8. Remember that Iesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my Gospel Arg. 5. Because Christ the General and Captain of the Army hath conquered all adverse power and death it self by the vertue of his Deity rising again from the dead for us in the same flesh which hee assumed from the Seed of David as I have preached Therefore O Timothy thou mayest hope to bee delivered from all evills and from death it self by the power of Christ very God and very man To which end also hee commands Timothy to remember and keep in minde this Doctrine because this is the chief foundation of faith hope and Christian consolation Vers. 9. Wherein I suffer trouble as an evil doer even unto bonds but the word of God is not bound Arg. 6. From the example of Paul himself I suffer bonds and disgrace willingly in the work of the Ministry Therefore do thou prepare thy self to suffer the like But the word Arg. 7. All the endeavour of the Adversaries of the Gospel comes to nothing while they persecute us the servants of Christ even unto bonds because although they may overcome us professours of the Gospel yet they overcome not nor doth the Gospel suffer bonds or is it hindred in its course Therefore let us confidently carry on our warfare Vers. 10. Therefore I indure all things for the Elects sake that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Iesus with eternal glory Arg. 8. The Elect of God are worthy for whose edification and confirmation in the faith to eternal salvation purchased by Christ wee who are the Ministers of Christ suffer all kindes of evills Therefore c. Vers. 11. It is a faithful saying For if wee bee dead with him wee shall also live with him 12. If wee suffer wee also shall reign with him if wee deny him hee will also deny us Arg. 9. Although the flesh hardly admits this saying yet certain it is That our communion with Christs death in induring the Cross is annexed to our communion with the life of Christ And certain it is that they shall reign with Christ who suffer with or for him Therefore must wee bee of good courage in our warfare that wee may live and reign with Christ. If wee Arg. 10. Whosoever being deceived by the terrours of persecution and the allurements of the world cast off the profession of the Name of Christ shall also bee cast off by Christ and perish Therefore c. Vers. 13. If wee beleeve not yet hee abideth faithful hee cannot deny himself Arg. 11. They that are unfaithful although they bring destruction upon themselves yet they shall detract nothing from the truth or glory of Christ who will defend his truth against the power of Adversaries and the perfidiousness of Apostates and will establish whatever hee hath said for his servants and against their enemies Therefore c. Vers. 14. Of these things put them in remembrance charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit but to the subverting of the hearers Admon 2. That Timothy do not onely inforce the things that are spoken but also take care that the word of God bee wisely handled both by others and himself also for example unto others There are three Branches of this Admonition Branch 1. That in the Name and Authority of Christ hee refrain unprofitable disputations such as theirs use to bee who seek after applause for their accuteness in their Sophistry Unprofitable The Reasons of this Branch are two Reas. 1. Because such contentions produce no profit at all Subverting Reas. 2. Because the faith of some is overthrown who lose the truth in wranglings or giving heed to perplexed disputations Vers. 15. Study to shew thy self approved unto God a workman that needeth not to bee ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth Branch 2. That hee shew himself an example in a prudent administration of the word of God studying to approve himself to God when others look after publick applause shewing himself a faithful workman when others boast themselves as vain disputers Alwayes doing his endeavour that he neither do nor speak any thing unbecoming whereof he may be ashamed in the
presence of God whilst others fiercely strive amongst themselves only because they are ashamed to bee overcome or to bee accounted unlearned Lastly imploying himself in preaching not in mincing of words whilest the substance is neglected but in a prudent dividing and distribution of their plain meaning and applying them to the advantage of the hearers in faith and obedience to the truth Vers. 16. But shun prophane and vain bablings for they will increase unto more ungodliness Branch 3. That hee decline the lofty and sophistical manner of speech new unusual and prophane phrases Hee subjoyns three Reasons of this Branch Prophane Reas. 1. Because as those insolent speeches proceed from the prophaneness and impiety of the mind so they foster and increase ungodliness in others Vers. 17. And their word will eat as doth a canker of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus R. 2. Because the manner of teaching and the Doctrine of Sophisters will eat up the Church as a Gangrene consumes the body which as Physicians teach unless it bee very suddenly cured it invades the contiguous parts seizes upon the very bones and till the man is extinct it proceeds without ceasing Vers. 18. Who concerning the truth have erred saying That the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some R. 3. Because experience hath demonstrated this evil in the persons of two Hereticks whom he names to their disgrace that they may be avoided as Rocks Who onely acknowledge an Allegorical Resurrection erring from the Doctrine of Truth overthrow the Faith of some and while they insinuated their perverse opinion into others gave occasion to some not well setled in the Faith to renounce the profession of the Christian Religion Vers. 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his and let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity Admonition 3. Of holding fast the Doctrine of perseverance of true Beleevers although the Faith of some was overthrown which admonition is propounded by way of consolation and confirmation of Faith against the scandal of Apostates especially of the famous Doctors whose levity and perfidiousness ought indeed to stir up all to watchfulness but it ought not in any wise to weaken the assurance of Faith in the Saints The Doctrine to bee maintained by Timothy in this Although the Faith of some bee overthrown yet the building of the salvation of the Elect or true Beleevers abides firm or The perseverance of the Saints is certain This hee proves by six Arguments Sure Argum. 1. By way of comparison from a building The building of the Faith and salvation of the Elect hath a sure foundation laid by God which stands unmoveable and this it is The free Election of God the constancy and stability whereof hee compares to a foundation laid upon a Rock Therefore the perseverance of the Saints is certain Seal Argum. 2. By way of comparison from a Seal to this sense The salvation of the Elect is kept in the secret custody of God as with a signet so that though it appear not to the world who they are that are elected yet it is certain that they were not of us or the number of true Beleevers who went out from us that truly beleeved or revolted from our society Therefore the perseverance of the Saints is certain Knows Argum. 3. Those are known unto God who in a special manner are his or belong to him as his peculiar ones hee knows them and their names and number and embraceth them with his special favour that hee will not suffer them to bee pulled from him To know them as his own is to acquiesce in them by his special love as his peculiar ones Therefore the perseverance of the Saints is certain Seal Argum. 4. As another seal God hath given this Precept to bee read of all men which hee makes effectual in all his Elect Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity i. e. Let him hold fast the Faith with the profession of Iesus Christ let him also depart from the waies of sin by repentance and holiness of life Therefore the Saints those whom God hath sealed for his own as it were with this Seal and in whom hee works effectual obedience to this Precept they shall not perish in their Apostacy but persevere and end their lives in the Faith and Obedience of Christ. Vers. 20. But in a great house there are not onely Vessels of Gold and of Silver but also of Wood and of Earth and some to Honour and some to Dishonour Argum. 5. As in a well-furnished and great house there are some vessels more precious for decent uses some baser vessels for dishonourable uses so in the Church some are reprobate who onely lye in their filthiness by whom the Church is corrupted they shall depart from the Church by Apostacy Some are elected and sanctified of God who shall persevere in the Faith and Obedience of Christ to the glory of God and their own commendation Therefore the perseverance of the Saints is certain Vers. 21. If a man therefore purge himself from these hee shall bee a vessel unto honour sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work Argum. 6. It is not onely certain that the Elect shall persevere but it is also to bee affirmed that they may bee assured of their election and perseverance For if any one by the Grace of God shall endeavour to purge himself from the manners of Hypocrites and the defilements of sinners with which the vessels designed to shame are filled hee shall openly manifest to himself and others that hee is of the number of those precious vessels prepared to sanctification and glory Therefore the perseverance of the Saints is certain Vers. 22. Flee also youthful lusts but follow Righteousness Faith Charity Peace with them that call on the Lord with a pure heart Admonition 4. To moderation of mind and to avoid all youthly affections and whatsoever may stir up contentions or provoke the minds of others There are three branches of the Admonition 1 That hee avoid all youthful lusts or affections not onely pleasures but also headiness contention pride desire of vain-glory and the like evil affections which young men use to bee infected with who have taken upon them the office of teaching or disputing Follow 2 That on the other side hee follow 1 Righteousness which offends none 2 Faith which without disputation receives chearfully the mysteries revealed from God 3 Charity which is not envious not puffed up is not ambitious seeks not her own but even those things which conduce to the good of others 4 Peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart i. e. with the true worshipers of God Vers. 23. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid knowing that they do gender strifes 3 That hee shun Questions by which no man comes to true wisdome and Christian edification The
him And this is the description of Paul the Pen-man of this Epistle The description of Titus to whom hee writes follows Hee is called Pauls own Son not according to the flesh but first after the common faith which hee received from the Doctrine of the Apostle whose Disciple hee also was and his continual auditor being alwayes in his company Again because hee had fully received the impression of the faith preached by the Apostle and expressed it to the life in his Doctrine Lastly because hee resembled Paul as it were an image in his manner of life and conversation Vers. 4. To Titus mine own son after the common faith Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and the Lord Iesus Christ our Saviour In his salutation hee blesses Titus from God through Christ wishing and applying to him First Grace i. e. That is the gifts of the Holy Ghost both necessary to his own salvation and his calling in the Ministry Secondly Mercy i. e. Remission of sins or infirmities in the exercise of the gifts bestowed upon him Thirdly Peace i. e. Happiness from the fountain of Grace by degrees to bee accomplished Vers. 5. For this cause left I thee in Crete that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting and ordain Elders in every City as I had appointed thee This Preface being premised that hee might instruct Titus about the choosing of Ministers in the first place hee repeats three general Precepts which he gave to Titus when hee went from Crete First That Titus finish in the Constitution of the Churches that which the Apostle had begun Then that hee appoint Elders i. e. all ordinary Governours of the Church in every City wherein the faithful lately converted dwelt Thirdly That in this business hee carry not himself after his own will but follow the rule set him by the Apostle as hee had ordained Vers. 6. If any bee blameless the husband of one wife having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly In the second place hee sets down three things requisite in Elders or Governours onely or of Teachers also 1 That they bee not defamed to the derogation of their Authority Again that they bee not guilty of Polygamy too frequent in those times And lastly That their whole family bee a mirrour of honest and chaste Discipline i. e. That their children bee brought up in the faith accustomed to temperance and frugality free from profuseness and luxury and patterns of obedience For hee esteemed it very necessary that the family of an Elder should bee rightly ordered if the wife and children understood that upon conjecture of their evil manners and conversations the Master of the Family might bee cast out of his Ecclesiastical Office Vers. 7. For a Bishop must bee blameless as the steward of God not self-willed nor soon angry not given to wine no striker not given to filthy lucre In the third place because amongst the Elders they that labour in the Word and Doctrine are the chief the properties of this Elder whom hee calls a Bishop are twelve whereof hee spake in the former Epistle to Timothy 1 Hee ought to bee free from any just blame lest his Authority be diminished yea so far from blame that nothing bee found in him unworthy the steward of God who ought to bee so much the more blameless by how much his office is more holy 2 Hee ought not to bee self-willed or such an one that obstinately pleases himself for hee that is too self-willed is ready to displease all others 3 Not soon angry for hee that is so cannot bear with the infirmities of the people of God or regard them 4 Not given to wine and drunkenness 5 Not contentious No striker 6 Not given to filthy lucre free from covetousness Vers. 8. But a lover of hospitality a lover of good men sober just holy temperate This hee confirms because it is requisite that according to his abilities hee bee ready to receive strangers or the banished servants of God 7 That hee esteem and love good men such as excel others For it is the sign of a man of little honesty to hate those that are good upon any pretence 8 That in all things hee bee modest sober of a sound minde or prudent 9 That hee bee just desirous to restore every man his own 10 That hee bee pious and holy who by his life and conversation may teach others 11 That hee bee continent and temperate having dominion over his affections 〈…〉 〈…〉 Holding fast the faithful word as hee hath been taught that hee may be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gain-sayers 12 That hee bee not a Divine onely but that by faith hee cleave to the truth not onely able to feed the flock but to stop the mouthes of barking Wolves The Second Part of the Chapter Vers. 10. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers especially they of the Circumcision The second part of the Chapter follows wherein hee gives an account of what diligence and care ought to bee used in the choosing of Pastors viz. Because false Teachers did at that time abound Hee also describes those whom hee would have rejected from this Office whereof are 1 unruly or refractory who will not bee reduced into order casting off the yoak of subjection or of the Eldership or of any other lawful jurisdiction whether they bee such as withdraw themselves from obedience to Authority either Natural or Civil to whom they ought to submit in the Lord. 2 Vain talkers who given to vain boasting follow after vain subtilties or frigid and trifling speculations which conduce nothing to holiness and the fear of God 3 Deceivers or seducers of mens mindes who either by their corrupt Doctrine corrupt the Gospel or by their fair rhetorical speeches so inchant as it were the mindes of men that they will no longer admit the sound way of teaching Of which sort for example sake hee points out the Jews Doctors to bee who dwelt in Crete Vers. 11. whose mouthes must bee stopped who subvert whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucres sake Hee advises him that these are not onely to bee refuted but forbidden to preach either publickly or privately whereof hee gives seven Reasons Reas. 1. Because they draw whole Families from sound Doctrine and drive them to perdition and that either by teaching errours or by ill applying the general Doctrine to foment the lusts of men and that for filthy lucres sake Vers. 12. One of themselves even a Prophet of their own said The Cretians are always liars evil beasts slow bellies Reas. 2. Because they followed the disposition of their Nation lyars given to idleness serving their own intemperance and bellies like beasts which hee proves by the testimony of the Cretian Poet Calimachus or Epimenides to which Testimony Paul himself assents Vers. 13. This witness is true wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may bee sound
Hee confirms this Argument with six Reasons Reas. 1. Because the contemner of Moses Law legally convicted was adjudged to capital punishment without mercy Therefore much more is the Apostate to be destroyed Trodden under foot Reas. 2. Because the Apostate is no less injurious to Christ as much as lyes in him than if hee should draw him from his Throne and trample him under his feet Blood Reas. 3. Because they esteem the most Holy blood of Christ whereby once as to the outward man or the outward Ecclesiastical Sanctification they are separated from the world and in Baptism consecrated unto God as the blood of some common man Spirit Reas. 4. Because they offer despite to the Holy Spirit as if hee was a lyar who convinceth them of the Deity and Divine power of Christ. Vers. 30. For wee know him that hath said Vengeance belongeth unto mee I will recompence saith the Lord and again the Lord shall judge his people Reas. 5. Because God professeth himself the revenger of all sin and of injuries done to his people Deut. 32.35 36. and much more of so horrible a sin against his Son and also against the whole Church Vers. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God Reas. 6. Because Apostates have not to do with miserable mortals but with the Living God i. e. him that is omnipotent and alwaies in readiness to revenge into whose hands as into the hands of an angry Judge it is a fearful thing to fall Therefore Apostates must expect nothing but the fearful judgement of God Withall hee propounds Argum. 12. To perseverance in the Faith Wilful Apostacy from the Faith is joyned with so many hainous Reproaches against Christ and the Holy Spirit Therefore take yee heed of Apostacy and persevere yee constantly in the Faith Vers. 32. But call to remembrance the former daies in which after yee were illuminated yee endured a great fight of afflictions 33. Partly whilst yee were made a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions and partly whilst yee became companions of them that were so used 34. For yee had compassion of mee in my bonds and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that yee have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance Argum. 13. By suffering persecution for the Gospel yee have long since given a famous proof of your constancy in the Faith hoping for that reward which is laid up for you in Heaven Therefore ought yee hereafter to persevere constantly in the Faith Hee opens this Argument by minding them how presently upon their receiving the Faith of Christ being illuminated by the word and Spirit of God they entred into a fight of grievous afflictions as it were vers 32. Partly whilst they themselves were openly reproached by the enemies of the Gospel and oppressed with all kind of injustice and violence Partly also whilst they out of Christian sympathy joyned themselves as companions to those that were afflicted and oppressed for the Gospels sake vers 33. which hee makes apparent by experience because whilst the Apostle was in bonds for the Gospel the faithful Hebrews sympathized and took the spoiling of their goods joyfully not respecting earthly riches in comparison to the heavenly and eternal inheritance laid up for them in Heaven vers 34. Vers. 35. Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward Argum. 14. Constant perseverance in the Faith hath a great recompence of reward Therefore the Profession of your Faith is not to be cast away but constantly to be held fast by you Vers. 36. For yee have need of patience that after yee have done the will of God yee might receive the Promise Argum. 15. If yee patiently persevere yee shall receive eternal life which is promised unto you otherwise not Therefore yee ought constantly and patiently to persevere in the Faith Vers. 37. For yet a little while and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry Argum. 16. Yee shall shortly have an end of your labours and yet want but little of the victory yet a little while and God will set you at liberty from all trouble as the Prophet Habak 2.4 gives us notice Therefore ought yee constantly to persevere Vers. 38. Now the Iust shall live by Faith but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Argum. 17. The Just shall live by Faith not by the present possession of his hope laying hold upon Life and Righteousness no other waies but by Faith Therefore yee ought to persevere in the Faith that yee may obtain Righteousness and Life If any Argum. 18. Hee that casts away his Faith and is puffed up with carnal confidence of his own strength or rests upon the power of any creature is hateful to God and his Saints Therefore ought yee to persevere in the Faith Vers. 39. But wee are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that beleeve to the saving of the soul. Argum. 19. I am perswaded that wee who truly beleeve are not of those reprobate Hypocrites who in the day of temptation fall away to their own perdition but of those that are elected whereof every one perseveres to the saving of his soul Therefore ought yee boldly to persevere in the Faith CHAP. XI HEE proceeds to confirm his former exhortation to perseverance in the Faith with divers Arguments drawn from the properties and effects of Faith Illustrated from the manifold experience of the Saints The Arguments of his Exhortation are twenty four All which prove that Faith is to bee promoted or that wee ought to persevere in the Faith or live by it in the midst of afflictions Vers. 1. Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Argum. 1. Faith embracing the promise concerning things hoped for makes the things as it were present and gives them a kind of subsistence so far as it applies to us the truth and power of God promising in whose power the things promised are contained and makes us as certain of the event as if the things promised were actually performed Therefore wee ought to live by Faith and persevere in it And the Argum. 2. Faith laying hold upon the Word of God is a convincing demonstration of the truth of things past present and to come which are not seen or appear and are justly esteemed by us most certain because of the undoubted truth of the word of God Therefore c. Vers. 2. For by it the Elders obtained a good report Argum. 3. By Faith Beleevers are commended justified and proclaimed blessed by the Testimony of God as it appears by ancient examples in the Scripture Therefore wee ought to live by Faith and persevere in it in the midst of afflictions Vers. 3. Through Faith wee understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear
or do they read and not consider it Do they not weigh what is imported by it in sense and meaning It fareth with them as with those to whom Christ said Mat. 22.29 You erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Do they not love it Behold their Plague 2 Thes. 2.10 11 12. Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved for this very cause saith the Text God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeve a Lie that they might be damned Do they not stedfastly beleeve what they learn in Scripture In Gods judgement with the foolish and unstable they are suffered to wrest the Scriptures to their own destructioâ— were they never so great wits 2 Pet. 3.16 Do they not study to give obedience unto the â—â—own Truth of it Hee dealeth with them as with Israel Psal. 81.11 My people would not hearken unto my voice and Israel would none of mee Hee counteth himself rejected because his Word was rejected But what followeth vers 12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts lust and they walked in their own counsels But to such as will be Christs Disciples indeed Students seeking to grow in knowledge beleef and obedience of his Word seeking to love him and keep his sayings hee promiseth Joh. 14.26 to send unto them The Spirit of Truth the Comforter the Holy Ghost to teach them all things That is to perfect their knowledge more and more by his Spirit to fill their hearts with joy and comfort according to his Truth and to make them holy more and more And why are all these stiles given Even to shew that such as will have Christs Spirit to work any of these must seek him to work all of these joyntly or not to have him for working any of them at all Neither comfort without truth nor comfort without Holiness The same is it which Wisdome cryeth Prov. 8.34 35 36. Blessed is the man that heareth mee watching daily at my Gates waiting at the Posts of my Doors For who so findeth mee findeth life and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But hee that sinneth against mee wrongeth his own Soul all that hate mee love death Therefore how thou doest hate Death and love thine own Soul how thou standest affected towards Gods and the fellowship of the Comforter the holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth and towards the enlargement of the Kingdome of Christ let thy affection towards the Scriptures more abundant dwelling in thy self and for the Scriptures more free course amongst others bear witness Farewel THE EPISTLE OF PAVL to the HEBREWS WHen Peter wrote his second Epistle to the scattered Hebrews there was extant an Epistle of Paul to those same scattered Hebrews also received in the Church for a part of Canonical Scripture and distinguished from Pauls other Epistles 2 Pet. 3.15 16. Therefore amongst other reasons this may bee one to make us think this Epistle must bee it For it is without reason to think that the Churches should bee negligent in keeping such a Iewel commended unto them by the Authority of two chief Apostles or lose Pauls Epistle and keep Peters which maketh mention of it The sum of the Epistle BEcause the Hebrews were hardly drawn from the observation of Levitical Ordinances unto the simplicity of the Gospel and in danger of making Apostacy from the Christian Faith by persecution the Apostle Paul setteth before their eyes the glory of Jesus Christ in his person far above men and Angels by whose Ministery the Law was given not only as God Chap. 1. but also as man Chap. 2. and in his Office above Moses Chap. 3. Threatning them therefore if they should mis-believe Christs Doctrine Ch. 3 4. and above the Levitical High-Priest Ch. 5. Threatning them again if they should make Apostacy from him Chap. 6. yea above all the glory of the Levitical Ordinances as hee in whom all those things had their accomplishment and period of expiring Chap. 7 8 9 10. Threatning them again if they should not persevere in the Faith of Christ unto which perseverance through whatsoever difficulties hee encourageth them by the example of the Faithful before them Chap. 10 11. and by other grounds of Christian comfort Chap. 12. That so in the fruitful obedience of the Gospel they might follow upon Christ seeking for that City that is to come and not for their earthly Hierusalem any more Ch. 13. The sum of Chap. I. IF you shall make comparison O Hebrews the Ministery of the Gospel shall bee found more glorious than the Ministery of the Law For the manner of Gods dispensing his will before Christ came was by part and part and subject to his own addition not after one setled manner but subject to alteration and by the Ministery of men the Prophets Verse 1. But now hee hath declared his last Will gloriously by his own Son God and Man in one person Verse 2 3. who is as far above not only the Prophets but the Angels also as the native glory of his Person and Office is above theirs Verse 4. For hee is of the same substance with the Father Verse 5. and partaker of the same worship with him Verse 6. The Angels but servants to him Verse 7. Hee is eternal God and King over all Verse 8. and in regard of his Manhead and Office filled with the Spirit Verse 9. Yea hee is Creator unchangeable and everlasting Verse 10 11 12. Joyned with the Father in the government of the world Verse 13. The Angels but servants both to him and to his children Verse 14. The Doctrine contained in Chap. I. Vers. 1. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets ALbeit the Apostle was willing that these Hebrews should understand that this Epistle came unto them from him as appeareth Chap. 10. vers 34. yet doth hee not prefix his name in the body of it as in all his other Epistles that by the prudent dealing of these faithful Hebrews as wee may think others who kept pâ—ejudice against his person might bee drawn on to take notice of his Doctrine more impartially and know his name after they had tasted of the truth from him in a fitter time Whence wee learn 1. That it is lawful for godly men to dispose of the expression of their names in their writings as they see it expedient 2. That it is not much to bee inquired who is the Writer of any purpose till wee have impartially pondered the matter written 3. That it is not alwayes necessary that wee should know the name of the Writer of every part of Scripture for the authority thereof is not from men but from God the Inspirer thereof 1. Hee saith not simply The Prophets spake but God spake to the Fathers by the Prophets Then 1. God was the chief Doctor of his own Church from the beginning 2. And what the Prophets conveighed from God to the Church
Vers. 8. Yet it is begun in Christs personal Exaltation And for his short humiliation under the estate of Angels by suffering wee must not stumble For it is both glorious to himself and profitable for us Vers. 9. For Gods glory required that our salvation should be wrought by sufferings of the Mediatour Ves. 10. And to this end hee behoved to be partaker of our Nature as was foretold Vers. 11 12 13. That hee might take on our due punishment that is Death Vers. 14. And deliver his own from the fear thereof Vers. 15. And herein wee have a priviledge above the Angels in that hee took on our Nature and not theirs Vers. 16. And by his sufferings a ground of so much greater comfort in him Vers. 17 18. The Doctrine of Chap. II. Vers. 1. Therefore wee ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which wee have heard lest at any time wee should let them slip 1. THerefore Wee ought to give heed c. From the Excellency of Christs Person bee urgeth the Belief of his Doctrine Then 1. CHRIST must be esteemed of as becommeth the Excellency of his Person 2. The way how CHRIST will be respected of us is by respecting his Doctrine And the Excellency of his Person should procure our reverend receiving of his Word and stedfast holding of it 2. Hee will have us to take heed lest wee should let it slip The word is borrowed from rent and leaking Vessels or sandy ground Then 1. The Gospel is a precious liquor worthy to be well kept And wee of our selves are as rent Vessels ready to let it slip when wee have heard it or like sandy ground which keepeth not the rain 3. For this wee ought to give the more earnest heed Then The Conscience of the worth of CHRIST and his Gospel and of our own unfitness to retain it should sharpen our vigilancy and attendance to keep it else wee will doubtless let it slip 4. Hee saith not lest shortly but lest at any time Then It is not sufficient to beleeve the Word for a while and for a while to remember it but wee must gripe it so as never to quit it by mis-regard or misbeleef For Faith and love of the Truth is the good memory that specially hee requireth here Vers. 2. For if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward 1. Hee reasoneth from the Law spoken by Angels Then The Angels were employed in giving of the Law they did blow the Trumpet they from GOD uttered the word to Moses 2. The word spoken by them was stedfast Then What God delivereth by the Ministery of Messengers is authorized and ratified by GOD. 3. Every transgression was punished Then The punishment of transgressors or his Law is a proof of GODS authorizing the Doctrine 4. Hee calleth the punishment a just Recompence Then There is no evil befalleth sinners more than they do deserve None hath cause to complain of injustice Vers. 3. How shall wee escape if wee neglect so great salvation which at the first began to bee spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him 1. How shall wee escape The Apostle joyneth himself with them in the Threatning Then So should Preachers threaten their people as willing to undergo the same punishment except they flee the sin for which they threaten others 2. Hee reasoneth for the punishment of the Law-breaking to prove the punishment of misbelieving the Gospel Then 1. The not-embracing of the Gospel is a greater sin than the breach of the Law The despising of forgiveness is much worse than the making of the fault 2. Examples of Judgement upon Transgressors of the Law are evidences of greater Judgements to come on the misregarders of the Gospel 3. Hee calleth the Gospel so great a Salvation because of the free Offer of Remission of sins and eternal Life in it Then The greatness of the benefit to bee gotten by the Gospel aggravateth the sin of the misregarders of it 4. Hee sayeth not If wee reject deny or persecute the Gospel but if wee neglect Then The neglect of the Doctrine of the Gospel the careless receiving of it the not studying to know it is sufficient to draw down heavier judgements than ever fell on the breakers of the Law albeit a man bee not an Under-miner or open Enemy to the Gospel 5. Hee describeth the Gospel to bee that Doctrine which Christ himself preached and his Apostles from him Then wee are not bound to believe any more for Gospel than that which is made clear unto us by his Apostles word And the misregarding of other Doctrine which is not conveyed so from him falleth under the threatning 6. Hee marketh the Apostles certainty of what they have delivered unto us in that they were ear-witnesses of his Doctrine Then The more certainty the Apostles had from Christ of their Doctrine the surer is the ground-work of our belief and the greater is the contempt done to Christ in their Message by unbelief Vers. 4. God also bearing them witness both with Signs and Wonders and with divers Miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own Will 1. Hee saith God bare witness to the Apostles Doctrine by signs and wonders Then 1. What the Apostles have spoken from Christ they spake not alone but God with them witnessed with them 2. The proper use of Miracles and extraordinary Gifts powred out in the Apostolick times was to testifie that the Apostles Doctrine was Divine Truth Those then must bee lying wonders which are alledged for confirming any Doctrine beside theirs 2. The distribution of the gifts of the Holy Ghost was according to his own will not as possibly the Apostles would have carved either to themselves or others in the nature of the gift or measure of it Then The Apostles were so employed in the working of Miracles as it was evident even then that not they but God was the worker of them while hee was seen to follow his own will therein and not mans carving in distributing his gifts And the more Gods over-ruling Will was seen in the miracles then the more confirmation have wee of that Doctrine now Vers. 5. For unto the Angels hath hee not put in subjection the World to come whereof wee speak 1. Hee calleth the World under the Kingdome of the Messias The World to come first to put a difference betwixt the estate of the World considered as under Sin and under the Messias For as it is under sin it is said of it Old things are past away 2 Cor. 5.17 Esa. 43.19 The creature is waxing old and running to ruine But under the Messias it is said of it Behold I make all things new 2 Cor. 5.17 The creature is lifting up its head and waiting for the day of liberation from â—anity and the manifestation of the Sons of God Rom. 8.19 Then The Kingdome of the Messias maketh
from Gods Rest Vers. 1. For wee have the offer of it as well as they only here are the odds They beleeved not Vers. 2. But wee who do beleeve enter into a Rest as Davids words import For there are three Rests in the Scripture which may be called Gods Rest. 1. Gods Rest upon the first Sabbath 2. The Rest of Canaan typical 3. The Spiritual and true Rest of Gods People in Christs Kingdome which is a deliverance and ceasing from Sin and Misery David doth not mean of the Rest of the Sabbath in his threatning because albeit the Work of Creation was finished in the beginning of the World and that Rest come and gone yet David speaketh of another Rest after that in the word of Threatning Vers. 3. That Gods Rest was past at the founding of the World is plain from Moses words Vers. 4. After which Rest David speaketh here of another Rest Vers. 5 Wherein seeing Unbeleevers entred not Beleevers must enter Vers. 6. Again David meaneth not of the Rest of Canaan For after they had a long time dwelt in Canaan David yet setteth them a Day during which they might enter into Gods Rest Vers. 7. For if the Rest of Canaan which Iesus or Ioshuah gave unto them had been this true Rest then David would not have spoken of another Rest after that Vers. 8. But speak he doth Therefore there is a Rest besides these even that Spiritual Rest proper to Gods people Vers. 9. I call this a Rest because when Gods People cease to do ther own works and will it is like Gods Rest Vers. 10. Therefore let us beware to bee debarred from this Rest by Unbeleef as they were Vers. 11. For Gods Word is as effectual now as ever it was to discover the lurking Sins of the heart howsoever men would cloak them Vers. 12. And God with whom wee have to do seeth us throughly Vers. 13. But rather seeing wee have so great encouragement to get entry through Jesus Christ so merciful and pittiful an High-Priest Vers. 14 15. Let us bee stedfast in our faith and come confidently to get Gods Grace to help us through all Difficulties in the way to that full Rest Vers. 16. The Doctrine of Chap. IV. Vers. 1. Let us therefore fear lest a Promise being left us of entering into his Rest any of you should seem to come short of it 1 In the Exhortation hee layeth down this ground That â—here is a Promise of Entry into this Rest left unto us Then 1 The entry into Gods Rest is â—ast open to the Christian Church and incouragement given by offer and promise of entry 2 While it is to day this promise and invitation to it is left unto us notwithstanding that many by-gone occasions of getting good and doing good bee spent and away 3 As long as this merciful Offer and Promise is kept to the fore unto us wee should stir up our selves to lay hold on it in time 2. Therefore let us fear lest any of you seem to come short of it The similitude is borrowed from the prize of a Race Then 1 A Race must bee run erre wee come to our full rest 2 The constant Runner to the end getteth rest from sin and misery and a quiet possession of Happiness at the Races end 3 The Apostate and hee who by misbeleef breaketh off his Course and runneth not on as may bee commeth short and attaineth not unto it 4 The Apostasy of some and possibility of Apostasy of more Professors should not weaken any mans Faith but rather terrify him from misbeleef 5 There is a right kinde of fear of perishing to wit such as hindereth not assurance of faith but rather serveth to guard it and spurreth on a man to perseverance 6 Wee must not only fear by misbeleeing to come short but to seem or give any appearance of comming short Vers. 2. For unto us was the Gospel Preached as well as unto them but the Word preached did not profit them nor being mixed with Faith in them that heard it 1 To make the example the more to urge them hee saith The Gospel was Preached to them whom God debarred for misbeleef from his Rest. Then 1 The Gospel was Preached in the Wilderness for substance of Truth albeit not in such fulnesse of Doctrine and clearnesse of Truth as now The Preaching of it in clearnesse now must make the Mis-beleevers of it in no less danger of being debarred from that Rest than the old Israelites yea rather in more 2 The cause of their debarring is The Word was not mixed with Faith in them and so profited them not Then 1 As a Medicinal Drink must have the true Ingredients mixed with it so must the Word have Faith mixed with it joyning it self with all the parts of the Truth closely 2 Faith can wall with nothing nor bee mixed with any Truth but the Word and the word will not joyn nor wall nor mix with Conceits Opinions Presumption but with Faith that is it will bee received not as a Conjecture or possible Truth but for Divine and infallible Truth else it profiteth not 3 Hearers of the Word may blame their mis-beleef if they get not profit 4 Albeit a man get light by the Word and some tasting of temporary Joy and Honour and Riches also by professing or preaching of it yet hee receiveth not profit except hee get entry into Gods Rest thereby for all these turn to Conviction Vers. 3. For wee which have beleeved do enter into Rest As hee said As I have sworn in my wrath if they shall enter into my Rest although the werks were finished from the foundation of the World Read the sum of this Chapter vers 2 3 5. for clearing of his reasoning Hee proveth that Beleevers enter into Gods Rest because God excludeth by his threatning mis-beleevers only Then 1 Fearful threatnings of the wicked carry in their bosome sweetest promises to the godly and the Faithfull 2 Beleevers get a beginning of this rest in this world and a possession of it in some degrees by faith Their delivery from sin and misery is begun Their life and peace and joy is begun Vers. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise And God did rest the seventh day from all his works 5. And in this place again If they shall enter into my Rest. He compareth places of Scripture and sheweth the significations of Rest. Then 1 Words in Scripture are taken in sundry places in sundry significations 2 Comparison of places will both shew the divers acceptions of any word and the proper meaning of it in every place Vers. 6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein and they to whom it was first Preached entred not in because of unbeleef The full sentence of the sixt vers is this Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter in and they to whom it was first preached entered noâ— in because of unbeleef It will
both Compare this place with vers 9 10 c. Of this Chapter to the end First in these verses the 4 5. and 6. hee is speaking of Professors in general conditionally But vers 9 10 c. hee is speaking to the true Beleevers amongst these Hebrews particularly 2. Here in these verses are glorious gifts Illumination and tasting of spiritual things There in those verses is Faith working by love to the glory of Iesus and Weal of his Saints 3. Here are men enrolled amongst Christians so holden and esteemed both of themselves and others There are sensible souls in the feeling of sin and fear of wrath and hope of mercy flying to Iesus as to a Refuge and casting the Anchor of their tossed souls within the veil where Iesus is in Heaven 4. Here men receiving from the holy Ghost good things there men receiving from him beside these good things better things also 5. Here things glorious indeed yet not alwaies accompanying salvation but in some going before saving Grace in others possibly alone without saving Grace But there are saving Graces alwaies joyned with Salvation 6. Here in these verses the Apostle is not confident but such as have received these things here mentioned may fall away except they go forward and study to make progress But there in those verses the Apostle is perswaded that they shall not fall away but be saved and thereupon encourageth them to go forwards From this Comparison it is clear then 1. That there is a possibility of the Apostasie of Professors and titular Saints but not of the Apostasie of renewed souls and true Christians true Saints 2. There is a ground of fear from these words to such as are secure and puffed up with the conceit of their spiritual gifts but not of those who in fear are fled to Christ. 3. That in this place carnal confidence onely is shaken in such who as if they had done well enough study not to make progress But Faith no waies weakened in such who still study to advance and make more and more progress 4. That here fruitless light and fruitless feeling is called in question but not Faith and laborious love bringing out fruits to Christs glory and good of his Saints Again from this comparison it is evident That the holy Ghost is Author both of these common spiritual gifts and of these special saving graces also Of these common gifts hee is Author as dwelling amongst Professors and distributing good things unto all Professors that are in the visible house of his Church But hee is Author of those saving Graces as dwelling in true Professors who are his own house bringing with himself better things than these gifts and salvation also unto them infallibly Thirdly From this Comparison it is clear 1. That there are some Converts external from the world to the Church who yet stick in their naturals and are not in the sense of sin fled unto Christ for refuge nor converted from Nature to saving Grace to whom the Apostle will not deny room in the Church if they will study to make progress And 2. That illumination and tasting of Spiritual things may bee given as well to such who are not renewed in their heart as unto sound Converts For 1. The natural man may be convinced that the Church is a blessed Society and joyn himself unto it 2. Yea change his outward conversation and cast off his pollutions which are in the world through lust and take himself to be ruled outwardly by Christs Discipline and call him LORD LORD 3. And be so blameless before men that hee may look with his Lamp like a wise Virgin waiting for the Wedding and yet be a graceless fool inwardly 4. Yea hee may be illuminated not onely by learning the literal knowledge of the Gospel as men do their Philosophy but also may be illuminated supernaturally with in-sight in many profound things in the Scripture For supernatural gifts may be in a Natural and unrenewed Man so as hee may say to CHRIST I have prophesied in thy Name and yet be unrenewed in Christs estimation 5. Hee may taste of the heavenly Gift partly by historical beleeving the Truth of the Gospel partly by contemplation of the Truth credited Now historical Faith is a taste of that heavenly gift of Iustifying Faith because it is a good degree towards it and contemplation of this Truth bringeth a taste of the thing credited and so of the heavenly Gift revealed in the Gospel For the contemplation of every Truth bringeth with it naturally a delectation such as Philosophers do finde in their studies And the more eminent the Truth be no wonder the delectation be the greater For many heard Christs gracious Sermons and wondered and beleeved his words to be true but Christ did not commit himself unto them for hee knew what was in them 6. Hee may be made partaker of the Holy Ghost and have his share of Church gifts distributed by the Holy Ghost so as hee can from the light which â—he Holy Ghost giveth him answer other mens doubts comfort the feeble minded and edifie others in their Faith by his speeches yea have the gift of expressing his brain-light both in conference to men and in formal prayer to God if hee be a private man onely and if hee be in publick office may have the gift of formal preaching and praying in publick yea in those daies of the Apostle might have had the extraordinary gifts of Tongues Prophesying and Miracles-working Therefore saith Christ Many will say to mee in that day Lord Lord have wee not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful works To whom Christ will answer I never knew you Depart from mee yee that work iniquity Mat. 7.22 23. Now this knowledge convincing light and gifts of utterance c. are from the Holy Ghost or else how could such Apostates as are here described sin against the Holy Ghost 7. Hee may taste of the good Word of God that is finde sweetness in the Doctrine of the Gospel and bee convinced of the Goodness and Mercy of God towards sinners shining therein yea and by beholding the possibility of his own salvation upon this condition If hee will sell all and buy the Pearl hee may taste of Gods Merchandise in the blocking for them beside all the false joyes and delusions which hee may get by presuming of the certainty of his own salvation and yet in the mean time as a fool will not lay down the price will not renounce his earthly and beastly affections will not deny himself and his own corruptions The care of this world and the deceitfulness of Riches choaking the fruits of the Word heard as they who receive the seed amongst thorns Wherefore in time of persecution for the Word hee may by and by be offended and quit the Truth albeit with the stony hearted hearers in time of prosperity hee heard the Word and anon
with joy received it Mat. 13.20 21 22. 8. Lastly hee may taste of the power of the World to come that is in contemplation of the Blessedness promised to the Saints in Heaven be taken with admiration of it yea and have a natural desire of it as Baalam did when upon such a speculation hee did wish to dye the death of the Righteous and to have his last end as his and yet love the wages of Iniquity so well as hee forsook not his covetousness for all his wish of Heaven In a word It is possible that a man impenitent and unrenewed in his heart may be a glorious Professor for his outward behaviour and have fair gifts and yet make Apostasie from the Truth when hee getteth a fit Temptation or else how should it be possible that the Devil should make glorious Professors and Church-men in all Ages Apostates Persecuters Betrayers of the Truth to the Adversary Underminers of the Church of Christ Except they under all their show did lodge in their heart the love of Mony and worldly Riches more than the love of Heaven the love of the praise of men rather than Gods Approbation the lust of their fleshly ease and pleasure more than the pleasure of God the fleshly fear of those that can kill the Body more than of God Who can cast both Soul and Body into Hell And therefore no wonder if for satisfaction of their Ambition Avarice Lusts and earthly Affections they become ready to sell Christ and His Truth and His Church and their Country and All when they finde their Merchant and the beloved Price offered unto them 4 Observe here How glorious soever these Illuminations and Gifts and Tastings seem yet there is no further here granted but Tastings to such rotten Professors That which they get is either onely in the Brain by Knowledge or if there bee any Feelings they are but fleeting motions flowing from temporary grounds which proceed not from any Spiritual life in the man nor from a root in himself that is not from the Spirit dwelling in him Such feelings do neither foster nor strenghthen him for any Spiritual Obedience but vanish without changing the heart It is true all that the godly get in comparison of what hee shall get is but Tastings Yet in comparison of these fruitless tastings of the unsound Professors that which hee getteth is true Eating and Drinking a real Feeding holding his soul in life and enabling him to work the works of God to mortifie his lusts and serve God in his Spirit 5. Observe That here hee doth not challenge those who have felt these tastings for unsound nor threaten them if they hold on and make progress Then 1. The having of illumination and spiritual gifts and tastings of heavenly things is not to be lightly esteemed of but accounted as steps and degrees unto a further progress wherefore as it is possible for some to fall away so is it a peece of advancement to encourage men to go on that they fall not away 2. There is no danger in having this Illumination or these light tastings But all the hazard is to rest upon them and not to tend towards perfection or to fall away after receiving so much encouragement 3. And therefore wee must not rest on Illumination or common gifts how glorious soever nor tastings and feelings how sweet soever but seek still into a more near communion with Christ and still more to mortifie our lusts and still to abound in the fruits of love to Christ and his Church Vers. 6. If they shall fall away to renew them again unto Repentance seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame 1. Hee saith not It is impossible they should bee saved but that they shall bee renewed by Repentance Then Apostates salvation is not impossible but because their repentance is impossible and where repentance is there is no impossibility of salvation but a certainty of salvation rather For hee that giveth the repentance hee declareth his purpose to give remission also 2. Hee giveth a Reason why they cannot get repentance because they maliciously renounce Christ and crucifie him afresh unto themselves That is draw on the guiltiness of his enemies who crucified him did lye under by Apostacy allowing their crucifying of him Then 1 An Apostate from Christs doctrin doth Christ as open shame as he can and saith in effect of Christ that his doctrin is false and not to be maintained 2 An Apostate alloweth Iudas and the Iews for crucifying of Christ and accounteth Christ no more worthy than so to bee dealt withall 3. Renouncing of Christ maketh repentance impossible For hee is a Prince to give repentance unto Israel And therefore hee who will not quit Christ nor his true Doctrine is not debarred from having Repentance nor from Salvation Vers. 7. For the Earth which drinketh in the Rain that commeth oft upon it and bringeth forth Herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God Vers. 8. But that which beareth Thorns and Bryers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned Hee giveth a reason of the punishment of Apostates from the less to the more under a similitude from land-labouring thus As God blesseth such men who after pains taken on them bring forth the fruits of good works So doth hee curse those who after pains taken on them do bring forth but evil works And if it be â—ut equity that God curse Professors who bring forth but evil fruits in their life Much more equity hee should curse Apostates who profess open hostility against him The Similitude sheweth 1. That men are like unmanured Land before they bee brought within the Church but after they are made partakers of the Gospel then are they like manured Land within hedges Gods Husbandry 2. That such as begin to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance God blesseth and maketh more fruitful 3. That the means of Grace under the Gospel are to our souls as Rain and labouring and other Husbandry is to the ground Vers. 8. But that which beareth Thorns and Bryers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned 2. The Similitude sheweth 1. That a man may perish for not bringing forth the fruits of the Gospel albeit hee fall not into the sin against the Holy Ghost 2. That there is a great reason why God should cast away a man who amendeth not his life by the Gospel as that an Husbandman should give over labouring of a peece of evil ground 3. And by this means also sheweth that Gods most severe judgements have all of them most equitable reasons 4. That there is a necessity of bringing forth the fruits of well-doing if a man would bee free of the curse either of Apostates or of the barren land Vers. 9. But beloved wee are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation though wee thus speak
sinfulness in mind and heart are Preparations to fit us and set us on to joyn in this Covenant wherein God undertaketh to help and remedy all these felt evils through His Christ by putting His Laws in our Mind and writing them in our Hearts For what is this else but tâ— illuminate our Mind more and more with the understanding of his will and to frame our hearts and affections to the obedience of the same 4. That by the Covenant comfort is provided for sinners who are humbled in the sense of their sins and no door opened for presumption nor room given to prophane persons to go on their ways blessing themselves For the maker of the New Covenant presupposeth two things First that his party renounce his own righteousness which he might seem able to have by the Old Covenant Next that he flee for relief to God in Christ to have the benefits promised in this New Covenant Which if he do it is impossible that he can either lean to his own merits or live in the love of his sinful lusts 5. That by this Covenant such an union is made betwixt God and the Believer that the Believer is the Lords adopted childe and the Lord is the Believers God all-sufficient for ever promising to be all to the Believer which to be our God may import and to make the Believer all that one of his people should be Verse 11. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord For all shall know me from the least to the greatest 1. While he saith They shall not teach every man his neighbour he doth not mean that his Word and Ordinances and Ministry appointed by him or brotherly communion for mutual edification shall be mis-regarded or not made use of But by the contrary That he will himself be their Teacher in these his own means First giving his children a greater measure of the Spirit and a more neer communion with himself than of old 2. Making his children so wise unto salvation as they shall not hang their Faith upon mans authority but search by all means till they understand the minde of God the infallible Teacher as he hath revealed himself in his Word 3. So clearing the Truth which is outwardly taught unto them by his own Instruments after so sure and perswasive a manner by his Spirit inwardly that the outward Teaching shall be no Teaching in comparison of the inward concurrence according as we hear those Samaritans were taught who believed indeed the womans report that they might go to Christ But when they were come to him got so great satisfaction from himself that they said unto her Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have heard him our selves and know that this is indeed that Christ John 4.42 So will the Lord inwardly make his Truth powerful unto Salvation to his own that they may say to those that are his Instruments Now we believe not because of your saying but because we have heard him our selves Then 1. It is not Gods will that other mens belief should be the Rule of our belief but that we all search to understand the Scriptures and Gods will revealed therein 2. It is easie from this ground to answer that famous question How know you such and such grounds of Salvation We answer It is an Article of the New Covenant They shall be all taught of God 2. He saith They shall all know me from the least to the greatest Then 1. The New Covenant admitteth all Ranks and Degrees of persons and excludeth none high nor low that love to embrace it 2. It may be in sundry points of truth some of them be ignorant and mistaken more than other some But of the saving knowledge of God in Christ they shall all have light in a saving measure 3. The greatest as well as the meanest in whatsoever respect of Place or Gifts must be Gods Disciples in the study of saving Knowledge and hearty obedience Vers. 12. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more 1. To make us believe the former Promises he addeth to a New Article of the Remission of sins because from the Conscience of those ordinarily do arise our doubts and difficulty of drawing near to God Then 1. The conscience of sin must not drive us away from God but rather force us to run unto God more humbly because onely to such as come unto him in his Christ is remission of sin promised 2. Whatsoever sort of sins they be unrighteousness or sin or inquity they shall not hinder God to be gracious to the penitent fleeing to this Covenant for refuge 2. In saying For I will be merciful 1. He maketh his mercy pardoning sin the reason of his bestowing the former good things His giving of one grace the reason of giving another even grace for grace 2. He maketh his mercy the ground of all this favour and nothing in the mans person or works or worthiness of his faith 3. The word Merciful is in the Original Pacified and doth import both Gods respect to the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ which pacifieth him towards us and also our duty in looking towards it as the price of our reconciliation 3. In that the Lord joyneth the promise of putting his Law in the minde and writing it in our heart with the promise of remission of sins he teacheth us That he will have every confederate soul that seeketh the benefit of this Covenant to joyn all these benefits together in their claim with remission of sin seeking to joyn the illumination of their minde renovation of their heart and life at least in their desires and endeavours and not to sever one of them from another but study in uprightness to have them all 4. While he saith He will remember their sins no more he teacheth 1. That he will never forgive sin nor forget it but set it ever in his sight till a man enter into this Covenant with him through Christ. 2. That when he hath forgiven sin he forgeteth sin also whatsoever he remitteth he removeth from his remembrance Vers. 13. In that he saith A New Covenant he hath made the first Old Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away From the name that the Lord giveth this Covenant in calling it New he draweth two consequences The first that the former Covenant by this word was declared old Next that as it was declared old it was so declared shortly after to be abolished Then 1. The least word that proceedeth out of Gods mouth is weighty and worthy of consideration 2. Whatsoever Gods word doth import by due consequence must be taken for Gods truth and Gods minde as if it were expressed 3. Seeing Christ is come and the time is now of this New Covenant we know that by Gods authority the Levitical ordinances and whole form of the Legal
of the true Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the World And therefore when Attonement and expiation of sin is attributed to the Levitical sacrifices as Lev. 17.11 the form of speech is Sacramentall the property of the thing signified being ascribed to the sign as was marked before Quest. But do not we Christians make a commemoration of our sins year by year yea daily remembring even the sins of our youth deprecating the wrath which they deserve I answer It is true we do but not by way of offering a sacrifice as they for of them it is said here In those sacrifices there is a remembrance of sin Quest. What is the difference betwixt commemoration of sin without renewd sacrifice and commemoration of sin with renewed sacrifices betwixt the Jews commemoration of sins year by year spoken of in this place and the commemoration which true Christians do make I answer The Iew in his solemn Commemoration of sin by renewed sacrifice did really profess two things One That no sacrifice formerly offered was sufficient to expiate his sin or cleanse his conscience Another That he had not sufficiently holden by Faith that signified sacrifice which was to come but had need through the Spectacles and Transparent of these typical sacrifices enjoyned for his help to take a new view of that true sacrifice which was to come of both which the repeated sacrifice did bear witness But we by commemoration of our sins and not sacrificing profess That by Christs sacrifice already past Gods justice is so well satisfied as there is no need of new sacrifice nor ofâ—ner offering of that one And therefore that we desire no other ransome but Christs which is payed already on the Cross but onely crave to have by Faith a better hold of Christ who hath payed the ransome for us that we may finde the vertue of his ransome yet more and more in our selves Quest. But what if with the commemoration of sins year by year and day by day we should pretend to joyn a Sacrifice that new expiation might be made by offering of Christ over again as is pretended to be done now adays I answer By so doing we should take away the Difference which the Apostle here putteth betwixt the Levitical sacrifices and Christ and make Christs no better than theirs We should avow That Christs sacrifice on the Cross done by himself was not a full ransome for our sins but that a mans offering were able to do that which Christs sacrifice on the Cross had not done Finally with the Iew we should avow that the true and satisfactory sacrifice were not as yet come nothing heretofore being done which were able to pacifie God or purge the Worshippers from the Conscience of sin For if a man think that the price of expiation of sin be already payed he doth but mock Gods justice and disgrace the Price payed if he presume to pay the Price over again Vers. 4. For it is not possible that the blood of Bulls and of Goats should take away sins He giveth a Reason why these Sacrifices could not pacifie the conscience even because it is not possible that they should take away sin Then 1. The conscience can never be purged except it see sin taken away by a perfect sacrifice and a ransome so worthy as justice may be satisfied 2. It is impossible that Attonement was properly made by the Levitical sacrifice but onely figuratively because here it is said It was impossible they could take away sins 3. Sin is not wiped away by any unworthy mean for sin being the breach of the Law of nature and of the written Law Gods Majestie so glorious his Justice so exact his Truth in threatning death to the offender so constant no less worthy sacrifice can expiate sin than that which is of value to answer all these Vers. 5. Wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not but a body hast thou prepared me 6. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure He proveth by testimony of the 40 Psalm vers 6 7 c. That these sacrifices did never by themselves pacifie God and therefore were not to endure longer than Christ should come to fulfil what they did signifie and so abolish them Then of necessity the Old Church was not altogether ignorant of the imperfection of their Legal service for removing of their sins and that the true expiation of their sins signified by these sacrifices was to be sought in the Messias 2. Christ is brought in by the Prophet coming into the world that is taking on our nature and manifesting himself in the flesh because by the Word he is set before the Church of that time as incarnate removing the Levitical Sacrifices and offering himself in their place Then the Word of God bringeth all Divine Truth to a present being unto Faith and so by prophecie made Christ incarnate present unto the Faith of the Fathers under the Law 3. Christs words unto the Father are Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not but a body hast thou prepared me Which is in substance the same with Mine ear hast thou opened or bored unto me in the Hebrew Psal. 40.6 For if the Father open the ear of his son by making him a wise servant for the work of Redemption If he bore his ear by making him a willing and obedient Servant then must he also prepare a Body unto him and bring him into the world by incarnation that he may accomplish that service as became Then 1. Christs Body is of Gods preparation and fitting made of God so holy and harmless so free of sin as it should be fit to be joyned with the God-head of the Son and fit to be an expiatory Sacrifice for sin 2. The Sacrifice of Christs Body and the obedience done to God in it by him is the Accomplishment and Substance of these Sacrifices 3. God was never pleased nor pacified by these Sacrifices in themselves but by Christs Sacrifice signified by them 4. God prepared a Satisfaction to himself for us when wee could not Vers. 7. Then said I Loe I come in the Volume of Thy Book it is written of Mee to do Thy Will O God Then said Christ Lo I come to do Thy Will O God That is When the Legal Sacrifices are found and declared unable to pacifie God Christ Then findeth it the fit time to come into the world and to do that which the Sacrifices did fore-signifie but could not effectuate Then 1. Christ did not think it the due time for himself to come into the world till it should be found that without him neither God could be satisfied nor man saved by any other mean but by his obedience 2. Christ assumed our nature and offered himself in our room to the Father willingly ready to perform what the Fathers Will could exact of us yea earnestly desired he to discharge that service for us Blessed
in these words must be this Where remission of sins is already purchased by offering of the true Expiatory Sacrifice as now it is under the New Covenant there no more offering can be for sin any more Then 1. The Apostle acknowledgeth no use for any sacrifice under the New Testament after Christs Ascension else his reason should not hold 2. The sacrifice which is offered to wit the body of JESUS hath already suffered for sin so that now the remission of those that is of sin and iniquity all sorts of the Elects sinnes is obtained thereby already 3. Not onely No Sacrifice is any more to be offered for sin under the New Covenant but also No Offering saith hee bloody or unbloody is to be offered 4. That Church which pretendeth to offer any Offering for sins of quick or dead now under the Gospel professeth That no remission of sin is to be had in such a Church Because where there is remission of sin there is no more offering for sin saith the Apostle expresly Vers. 19. Having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Iesus From the by-past Doctrine of Christs Excellency and Riches of Grace which commeth unto us through him hee draweth Exhortations for use-making of this Doctrine in soundness of Faith and the fruits thereof unto the end of the Epistle And first hee exhorteth to seek unto communion with God in Heaven through Christ using the terms of the Ceremonial Law but mixed with words touching the excellency of the thing signified above those Ceremonies to shew the Hebrews that those Ceremonies had nothing in themselves but did serve to represent Christ and his Benefits And so to draw them from those shadows unto the truth of that which once being signified by them is now manifested in Christ. To make the Exhortation to be the better received hee setteth down sundry Priviledges of the Faithful vers 19 20 21. From which hee inferreth his Exhortation vers 22. For the first Priviledge hee saith Wee have liberty to enter into the Holiest That is into Heaven 1. In that hee maketh this Priviledge proper to the Society of Christians himself and others hee teacheth us 1. That so long as men are without Christ they are debarred out of Heaven no Door nor Way open but the flaming sword of Gods justice to keep out every one that shall press to enter before Christ bring them But such as come to Christ by Faith Heaven is opened unto them and the Door cast up for them to enter in who were exiled before 2. Next Hee commendeth this Priviledge by calling the place The Holiest the place where Gods Holiness dwelleth represented by the Sanctuary where nothing can enter but that which is holy Teaching us thereby That the faithful are so washed from their sins through Faith in Christ that God will admit them into the place of his dwelling into his heavenly Sanctuary by Faith now and fruition hereafter 3. Hee commenâ—eth this Priviledge by calling it a Liberty The word properly signifieth Liberty to speak all our mind as hath been marked before Whereby hee teacheth us 1. How wee do enter into the Holiest to wit by prayer sending up our Supplications to Heaven And again 2. That in our prayers to God wee may use freedome of speech telling him all our mind all our griefs all our fears all our desires and even poure out our hearts before him at all times 4. Hee commendeth this Priviledge by the Price of the Purchase thereof even the blood of Iesus Whereby he teacheth us 1. To have this Priviledge in high estimation 2. To make good use of it 3. To be confident of the standing of it and all because it is so dearly bought 5. Lastly Hee commendeth this Priviledge by the Common Right which all Beleevers have unto it the Apostle and these Hebrews as his Brethren and all other of that Society Whereby bee teacheth That albeit there be great difference in the measure of Faith and other Graces betwixt Christians some being stronger some weaker some as Apostles some as these weak Hebrews c. yet all are the children of one Father all are Brethren and all are admitted by prayer to come and enter into Heaven freely to poure out their souls at all times unto God Vers. 20. By a new and living way which hee hath consecrated for us though the Veil that is to say his flesh This is one Priviledge That wee have liberty to enter into Heaven followeth another There is a way made to lead us on thereunto which is Christs flesh compared to the veil of the Sanctuary which hid those things which were within the Sanctuary and yet yeelded an entry through it self unto the Sanctuary So is Christs Flesh the Veil of his God-head which did hide the glory of his Deity from the carnal beholders who stumbled at his baseness and yet opened a door for the spiritual man to look in upon him that was invisible while as hee observed the brightness of the glory of God breaking through the Doctrine and works of the man Christ. 1. Hee maketh the way to be Christs Flesh or Christ as incarnate or Christ considered according to his humanity Because Christs taking on our nature is the onely mean of reconciling us unto God No man ever came to the Father but by him No other Name whereby men are saved but the Name of Jesus Christ. And therefore as in the way a man must enter and hold on still till hee come to the end to the place where hee would be Even so must every man who would be at Heaven begin at Christ and hold on making progress in him still from Faith to Faith from Grace to Grace till hee come to his rest 2. This way of Christs own making hee hath devised it and consecrated it Hee who is the Fathers wisdome hath thought it the best way to bring man to GOD that GOD should become Man that the Word should be made flesh The best way to bring men to Heaven that God should come down to the earth to take on mans nature upon him that hee might make man partaker of the Divine Nature 3. Hee hath consecrated and dedicated his flesh his humane Nature set apart and sanctified himself to this same end that men might make their means with God by him as Man and by the Bands of Nature with him be helped up to the Bands of Grace with GOD by comming to the man Christ might finde God in Christ. 4. Hee calleth it a New Way 1. Because of the clear manifesting of the way to Heaven under the Gospel in comparison of the time of the Law 2. Because a ready plain and safe way without stumbling blocks pits or snares dangers or inconveniences to such as keep themselves therein such as new-made waies use to be 3. Because it waxeth never old is now established and never to be altered or abolished 5. It is a Living Way 1. Because Christ liveth
of the blood of Iesus for remission of sins after this hearty application of Christs blood the conscience is furnished with a good answer unto all challenges and so is made good a comfortable conscience absolving the man through faith in Jesus whom it tormented with challenges before it ran to the blood of Jesus for sprinkling Then whensoever the conscience is evil accuseth and vexeth let the vexed heart run to Christs blood and then shall it be free from an evil conscience for the blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin Let the heart be sprinkled and the conscience will be good 6. The fourth thing required in him that draweth near as he should is That his body be washed with pure water That is That according to the signification of that Legal Rite their outward conversation be blameless and holy sin being so curbed within that it reign not in their mortal body so foughten against within as it break not forth in scandalous works of Darkness in the actions of the body Then 1. With a sprinkled conscience within men must joyn an holy and blameless conversation without 2. The washing of the conversation without must proceed from an heart sensibly acquainted with the power of the blood of Jesus 3. And this outward holiness of the body must be wrought with pure water that is by the Spirit of Sanctification to distinguish the reformation of a believer from a counterfeit who without may look like a righteous man but within be as a whited Tomb full of rottenness Verse 23. Let us hold fast the Profession of our Faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised Another Exhortation to avow the faith of Christ that is the doctrine of Christ the truth received from Christ and believed and not to quit it in the time of tryal upon any condition 1. The requiring to hold fast the confession of our Faith or Hope as the word importeth teacheth 1. That a true Christian must not onely hold the truth of Christ secretly but must confess it profess and avow it openly where Gods glory and others good requireth the same 2. That he must look for adversary powers and temptations to take that truth or at least the confession of it from him 3. That in these tryals and essays he must hold the faster gripe and avow it so much the more stedfastly as he is tempted to quit it 4. That when he is put to the tryal of this Confession of any point of his Faith hee is also put to the tryal of the confession of his hope whether his hopes of the promised salvation in Jesus be stronger to keep him stedfast or the terror and allurement from men stronger to make him quit the point of truth converted 5. That nothing but this hope is able to make a man stand out in tryal if hee be hardly urged 2. Hee will have the avowing of the truth of Christ to be without wavering Then 1. Men must so learn the Truth that they need not to change again that is must study to know the Truth soundly and solidly 2. And having learned it must not say and unsay one day avow it and another day quit it For so God getteth not his due glory Beholders are not edified the mans testimony wanteth weight with the adversary But hee must be invincible in the truth who will neither alter nor change or diminish any thing of it for fear or favour 3. Hee giveth this for a ground of constancy For hee is faithful who hath promised That is the promises which Iesus hath made to such as constantly beleeve in him shall be surely performed that no constant professor of his Truth shall be ashamed Then 1. Where wee have a promise of any thing made unto us in Scripture wee may be confident to obtain it and bold to avow our hope thereof against such as would teach us the Doctrine of Doubting whereunto wee are of our selves prone and inclined and against such as shake the assurance of the Saints perseverance 2. The ground of our confidence is not in our selves but in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ who hath promised such graces to his children 3. Our bold avowing of our hope is not a bragging of our own strength but a magnifying of Christs faithfulness Vers. 24. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and unto good works Hee strengtheneth his former Exhortation by giving of directions to further their obedience thereunto And first for mutual up-stirring one of another Whereof wee learn 1. That mutual edification of Christians amongst themselves and sharpening one of another is a special help to constancy in true Religion and a preservative against Apostacy 2. Prudence is required hereunto that mutually wee observe one anothers disposition Gifts Experience Virtues and Faults that wee may the better fit our selves to do good each one of us unto another and to receive good each one of another in our Christian conversing together 3. A godly striving one with another who shall be first in love and well-doing is better than the ordinary strife who shall exceed others in vanity and superfluity of apparel and fare Vers. 25. Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as yee see the day approaching Another mean to this same end is the frequenting of Christian Assemblies and Meetings which may further this purpose of mutual edification And therefore 1. Church-Assemblies must be well kept by such as do minde to prove constant in the true Religion 2. Christian Meetings also of private Christians for mutual conference and exhorting one of another is not to be neglected nor forsaken but to be used for keeping unity in the Church and not to foster Schism or hinder the publick Assemblies 2. Hee taxeth the fault of some amongst them who in Schism or purpose of Apostasie withdrew themselves from all Church-Assemblies and Christian-Meetings and fell back again or were in the way of falling back to the denial of Christ openly Then 1. Separation from the true Church and Christian society of the faithful is a remarkable evil 2. The Schism or Apostasie of others should not weaken us in following any good mean of edification but rather stir us up unto more diligence lest by negligence wee fall peece and peece back after their example 3. Hee maketh the approaching of the day to wit of Gods Iudgement a special motive to use the means diligently and make us constant in the Faith Then 1. The day of Gods Judgement should still be looked unto as a thing near hand even at the doors because it is but a very little and our day shall come yea and but a little time till our Lord shall come to judgement 2. The consideration of the day of judgement is a fit mean to sharpen us unto all good Duties which may make our reckoning to be furthered at that day and to make us boldly
earthly affections mortified 3. Their encouragement and cause of joy was the sensible feeling within themselves of the comfort of eternal Riches in Heaven keeping for them Then 1. It is the assurance of our heavenly inheritance which must make us ready to quit our earthly moveables 2. Who so getteth a heart to quit any thing on earth for Christ shall have better in heaven than he can lose here 3. GOD useth to give earnest of what he is to give in sensible feeling of spiritual Riches to such as believe in him 4. When men can esteem of things heavenly as they are that is enduring goods and of things earthly as they are that is perishing moveables then shall they readily quit the earthly in hope of the heavenly Vers. 35. Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward Now he exhorteth them to go on in this â—old avowing of Christ For this Confidence in the Original is such as hath with it a full and free profession of all their faith Then confidence and bold avowing of the truth is required A plain and full testimony must we give to Christs truth our confidence in profession is in part casten when our testimony is sparing 2. The encouragement he giveth is The hope of a reward Then 1. Constancy in avowing of Christ shall be well rewarded although not of deserving yet of Gods grace 2. He that quiteth his profession renounceth the reward promised to the constant Quest. But doth not this exhortation import the elects unsettledness and uncertainty of perseverance I answer Not but onely his weakness of himself and need of such exhortations to further his constancy 2. The danger of dishonoring God in some particular slip or fall is ground sufficient for this exhortation and this is the most of necessity it can import 3. Exhortation being given to the common Body of the visible professors teacheth them properly and not the elect formally Vers. 36. For ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise He giveth a reason Because they have need of patience therefore they must not cast away their confidence Then 1. The reward will not be given till a time intervene 2. And troubles will lie on in the mean while to make the time seem the longer 3. Patience is needful as a mean to fit us to attend 4. Confidence of the truth must support our patience 2. The time of their Patience he setteth as long as God thinketh good to employ them and after that the reward cometh Then 1. The time of patience is as long as God hath any thing to do with us in this world 2. Patience must not be joyned with idleness but with active obedience of Gods will as he requireth it 3. After that employment is ended the promised reward is given Vers. 37. For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry He encourageth them to Patience by promise of the Lords coming to relieve them shortly Then 1. The tearm of patience is until the Lord come to deliver 2. The patient attender on his coming shall not be disappointed For he will come and will not tarry beyond the due time of our necessity 3. It should strengthen us unto Patience that the time is short and the delivery certain Vers. 8. Now the just shall live by Faith but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him How shall they send in the mean time He answereth from Habak 2.4 The just shall live by Faith That is The man who will be found righteous must not look to present sense but sustain his soul with the word of Promise Then 1. In the midst of troubles and Gods felt absence Faith will content it self with the onely promises of GOD. 2. Looking to Gods word by faith is able to keep a soul in life and patience 2. He threatneth the misbelieving Apostate that chuseth to draw back and not live by faith The words of the Prophet are He whose soul is lifted up in him is not upright The Apostle betaketh him to the meaning which being compared with the Prophets words doth teach us 1. That he who refuseth to live by faith is lifted up with the false confidence of some other thing than God He hath some strong hold within himself wherein he doth trust 2. He that lifteth up himself in his vain confidence will draw back from beleeving in Gods word in the time of tryal 3. Hee that draweth back in the time of tryal bewrayeth the want of this sincerity 4. A back-slider from the profession of the Truth is loathsome both to God and to his Saints Vers. 39. But wee are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that beleeve to the saving of the soul. Hee mitigateth the threatning lest hee should seem to suspect them of inconstancy Then 1. Such Threatnings and Exhortations as have been given here do not import the uncertainty of their perseverance who are threatned but standeth with the assurance of the contrary 2. Hee who threatneth should be as wary to weaken his hearers Faith as his own 3. Hearers must understand that the right use of threatning is to rowse men out of security and not to discourage them 2. Wee are not of them saith hee who draw back unto perdition Then 1. They who draw back from constant avowing of the Faith draw near unto perdition Hee that forsaketh the Cross runneth himself on the Rock of his own destruction which is worse 2. The Elect are not of that kind or sort of men who fall into Apostasie unto perdition They may fall for a time but are not of them that draw back unto perdition 3. Wee are of them saith hee who beleeve to the salvation of the soul. Then 1. True Beleevers are of that kind of whom all do persevere 2. Persevering in the Faith is going on to Salvation The Summe of Chap. XI NOw that you may know the better how to live by Faith consider that Faith apprehendeth things to come as present and subsisting by holding them in their original Fountain which is the word of Promise and beholding in the Mirrour of the Word the clear certainty of things as yet not seen to sense vers 1. For so were the Elect Beholders and Partakers of Christ before hee came and were justified vers 2. And so have wee certainty of the Creation of the World of nothing vers 3. By it was Abels person and sacrifice accepted and preferred before his elder Brother vers 4. By it was Enoch made ready for Heaven vers 5 6. And Noah by it saved both in body and soul vers 7. Faith made Abraham leave his Country in hope of Heaven vers 8 9 10. By it Sarah being old got strength above the course of Nature to become a fruitful Mother vers 11 12. All these unto their dying day were contented with the fore-sight of
the performance of Gods Promises and in hope thereof renounced the world therefore God honoureth them as his confederates vers 13 14 15 16. Faith made Abraham to offer his onely Son vers 17 18 19. Isaac and Iacob and Ioseph by Faith at their death comforted themselves and others also in hope of the performance of Gods Truth vers 20 21 22. The Parents of Moses overcame the fear of man by Faith vers 23. Moses by Faith got strength to chuse the Cross of Christ before the riches and honours and pleasures of Egypt vers 24 25 26. Faith made him constant in his choise and patient vers 27. By Faith hee got the people of Israel to be saved when the first-born of Egypt were slain vers 28. By Faith the deep Sea gave open way vers 29. High walled Towns were thrown down vers 30. Rachab was saved when others perished vers 31. By Faith numbers of Gods Children did wonderful things and received wonderful comforts and overcame all persecutions vers 32 33 34 35 36 37 38. All these died in the Faith of Christ and were justified albeit Christ was not yet come vers 39. God having reserved the accomplishment of the Prophecies and Types in the comming of Jesus Christ until our time that the Fathers might not get Salvation except by looking to our times and joyning with us in the Faith of Jesus in whom they and wee also are perfected vers 40. The Doctrine of Chap. XI Vers. 1. Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen HEE pointeth out the Nature of Faith to help them to live by it Then Hee that would live by Faith had need skilfully to search out the nature thereof 2. In describing Faith hee ascribeth unto it the property of the Word which Faith layeth hold upon For it is the Word properly which is the substance of things not seen Then There is such an union betwixt Faith and the Word that what the Word is in force and effect that Faith is said to be in force and effect also As Faith honoureth the Word so God honoureth Faith in giving it the like commendation for force with the Word What is the original of the being and existence of any thing but this God willeth it to be or promiseth it shall come to pass or commandeth that it may be Therefore let Faith get a hold of the Promise or Word and it taketh hold of the thing promised by the root thereof And in the hand of Faith doth Truth bud out and flourish unto the ripe fruit of full satisfaction in performance 3. The word Evidence in the Original is a tearm of Logick importing that it is the nature of Faith by dispensation to convince Then It were wisdome for helping of our weak Faith to make Syllogisms from the Word and to reason so convincingly against all opposition of incredulity in us as there might be a consent and yeelding to the Truth extorted from us As for example When wee cannot take to heart the danger wee are in by entertaining any known sin from Rom. 8.13 wee may reason thus The Scripture saith If yee live after the flesh yee shall dye But if I forsake not and mortifie not this known sin in mee I live after the flesh Therefore if I forsake not and mortifie not this known sin I shall die Again the Scripture saith If yee through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body yee shall live Therefore if I by the Spirit mortifie such and such lusts I have Gods promise that I shall live And so in other particulars Vers. 2. For by it the Elders obtained a good report Hee proveth the nature of Faith to be as hee hath said because the Elders were approved of God as blessed in their beleeving who could not otherwise be partakers of the promised blessing in the Messiah to come except Faith had furnished unto them the substance and evidence of that hoped-for blessing Then 1. The Fathers under the Law were endued with justifying Faith and accepted of God even as wee 2. Men how base soever are brought into credit with God and into good estimation with his Church by Faith Vers. 3. Through Faith wee understand that the Worlds were framed by the Word of God So that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear Another proof to shew that Faith is the evidence of things not seen Because wee can have no other evidence of the Worlds Creation but by looking thereupon in the Word as it were in doing before our eyes Then 1. Faith must not stand whether there be Appearances or Probabilities or not of such things as are promised in the Word or else it could not beleeve the Creation which is the making of all things of nothing 2. The whole works of Creation are Pawns and Evidences of the possibility yea certainty of every thing promised For the works of Creation stand upon no better ground than Gods Word This sentence God shall make our vile bodies like unto the glorious body of Christ Iesus is as powerful to make us so as this sentence Let there be Light was powerful to create Light when there was none before Vers. 4. By Faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous God testifying of his gifts and by it he being dead yet speaketh In the Catalogue of Believers he beginneth at Abel the first persecuted man for Righteousness and that by Cain professing the same worship with him Wherein we learn 1. That the wicked may joyn in the outward worship and pure forms of Religion with the godly as Cain did with Abel 2. That Faith putteth the difference betwixt their persons and service 3. That a mans person must first please God before his actions can please him For therefore was Abels Sacrifice accepted because by faith his person was justified 4. Faith maketh Abel still a speaking Doctor to the Church directing all who love to have such a reward to cleave unto God as he did and albeit they should dye for it by the hand of their persecuting and bloody Brethren not to wonder at it Vers. 5. By Faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him For before his translation he had this Testimony that he pleased God Enochs full felicity is expressed by Gods translating of him Then if we ask where Enoch went to we must search for him by Scriptures warrant onely in the company of God the Translator of him For before he was translated he lived a blessed man in fellowship with God And it is injurious to God and Enoch both to put him out of Gods fellowship as not blessed when he is translated 2. Enochs Translation beareth witness 1. That the blessedness of everlasting life with God after death was known in the Old Testament 2. That the Fathers got possession of
receive the Promises is to receive the thing promised or the Promises in performance But here it is to have the Promises first and immediately made unto him Then the meaning of forms of speech in Scripture is to be found by consideration of all circumstances of the place where they are spoken and not of some circumstances onely 4. It serveth to the commendation of his faith that he obeyed Gods command when it seemed to make the promise null Then 1. To adhere to the promise when by appearance of reason it is likely not to be performed is tried faith indeed 2. When Reason sighteth against Faith it is wisdom to quit that Reason which would make us quit the Promises 3. When Gods commandments and promises unto us seem to cross one another it is wisdom for us to justifie them both All his words are truth Vers. 19. Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure Abrahams looking to Gods Fidelity and Omnipotency made him victorious over every difficulty and so to give obedience to this hard commandment Then 1. When we get hard commandments we must lay our reckoning how we may obey them and not how we may shift them 2. Difficulties and impossibilities as would appear must be rolled over upon God 3. Gods Omnipotency maketh that his promise cannot miss but take effect 2. Abraham as he expected so he found He expected Isaac ' s resurrection from the dead and in a figure or similitude be received Isaac back from the dead that is from the jaws of death no less unexpectedly than from the dead Then 1. The Believer shall finde as much as he can expect from Gods word 2. If the performance be not as he doth forecast yet it shall be by a way as comfortable and pâ—ofitable Vers. 20. By Faith Isaac blessed Iacob and Esau concerning things to come Isaac ' s blessing of his sons is said to be by Faith Then Patriarchal benedictions were given by ordinary Faith albeit from the ground of extraordinary revealed truth For faith ordinary believeth Gods truth revealed howsoever ordinarily or extraordinarily 2. In that this example is propounded for ordinary imitation in believing of Gods ordinary revealed word it teacheth us That he who hath the ordinary word of God hath as sure a ground to rest upon as if he had a particular and extraordinary revelation Vers. 21. By Faith Iacob when he was a dying blessed both the sons of Ioseph and worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff Jacob a dying blesseth his off-spring and worshippeth God in bodily weakness Then 1. Faith can look through the cloud of Death and behold both its own and others felicity 2. In the solid assurance which it hath it can worship or glorifie God for things to come as if they were already past 2. It is not said that he worshipped the top of his Staff but upon the top of his Staff leaning for his weakness cause by approaching Death because he would for this fore-seen blessing of God upon his posterity testifie by signs of worship in his weak body how he esteemed of that favour Then 1. Faith will make the body albeit it be weak concur with the Spirit in the Lords worship 2. When the infirmity of the body maketh it unable to concur with the Spirit it must be helped with a stone as Moses prayed against Amalek or staff as Iacob here or any thing else which may enable it to perform the worship the better being put under breast or arms or knees 3. Iacobs bending of his body in so great weakness thereof must bear witness against the prophane ease which many men now-a-days take unto themselves both in private and publike worship Vers. 22. By Faith Ioseph when he dyed made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones Joseph also testified his Faith in his death concerning the delivery of Israel out of Egypt by direction giving for transporting his Bones in sign of his assurance of their going to Canaan because God had promised so Then the Lords promises are sure comforts in death whereby Faith both sustaineth it self and is able to encourage and strengthen others And Faith maketh a man to keep them in memory and to make use of them in due time Vers. 23. By Faith Moses when he was born was hid three moneths of his parents because they saw he was a proper childe and they not afraid of the Kings Commandment How great weakness Moses parents did bewray the history maketh evident yet is their faith commended as victorious over the fear wherein their weakness did most appear Whence we learn 1. That nothing is commendable but because done in faith Their natural love is not mentioned but their Faith 2. That God so loveth faith in his children that he commendeth it in the measure it hath albeit it go not so far as it ought and marketh what faith hath and not what it wanteth of the perfection 2. The Evidence of their Faith he maketh this That they were not afraid of the Kings Commandment Then 1 GOD alloweth not that Kings commandments should be regarded when they command impiety and wickedness for then should they be honoured above God if for their commandment we should do that which he forbiddeth 2. Nothing but faith in God is able to make a man overcome the fear of that which Potentares may do unto him And it is a commendable work of faith to get this victory 3. The beauty of the childe stirred up his Parents to this work of Faith thinking with themselves that it behoved to be for some special end that God had so fashioned the childe Then 1. The Lord hath ways enough to excitate the faith of his own and bring it forth to act 2. Where special endowments are given there is good evidence of special employment to follow Vers. 24. By Faith Moses when hee was come to years refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter Moses refusing the honour which hee might have had in Pharaohs Court because it might have hindred him from the honour of one of Gods people is commended for a work of Faith Then It is better to be a member of GODS Church amongst GODS People than to be a Prince in a great Kingdome without the Church 2. Because hee would not have chosen to be the Son of Pharaohs Daughter therefore hee refused to be called so Then That which a man dare not avow himself to be or may not lawfully chuse to be hee must refuse to be esteemed to be hee must refuse to be called such 3. His manner of refusing this unhallowed honour is expounded to be by joyning himself with the people of God and so forsaking of Pharaohs Court Then 1. That is the true way of refusing unlawful honour to quit the place whereunto the unlawful honour is annexed and betake themselves to what they may
applying of the Promise made to Joshua he concludeth Warrant to apply Davids gloriation against all perils Psal. 118.6 Then 1. He that can apply one Promise to himself may confidently apply another also 2. The weakest true Believer hath as good ground of confidence in God for every good needful for soul or body as the Lords chief Prophets and as good Warrant to apply the Scriptures to their own use which speak of them 3. He who believeth in God needeth not to fear what flesh can do unto him 4. Faith then doth its part duly when i◠glorieth in the Lord against all opposition Vers. 7. Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the Word of God whose Faith follow considering the end of their conversation That they may be stedfast in the Faith he setteth before them the Example of Gods Messengers who had instructed them in the Truth and led a life conformable thereunto Wherein he teacheth us 1. Who is worthy to be a Guide to a People to wit the man who speaketh the Word of God and not his own Dreams believeth the Truth which he teacheth and hath his conversation answerable 2. The best respect that a Preacher can crave or that a People can give to a Preacher either in his life time or after is to remember the Truth of God taught by him and to make use thereof 3. In as far as Preachers have spoken the Word of God and made it the end of their conversation People are commanded here to remember them and imitate their Faith but no further Vers. 8. Iesus Christ the same yesterday and today and for ever This Sentence serveth First To shew the eternity and immurability of Jesus Christ in himself and all his Properties of Truth and Love and Pitty c. Again It serveth for a reason of keeping fast the Doctrine taught from him by our faithful Leaders because JESUS CHRIST will still allow and maintain that Truth once given out by himself and cannot chuse to change his Truth being First and Last like himself And thirdly It serveth to encourage us to be constant in the Faith because JESUS CHRIST is unchangeably the same in love and care towards those who believe in him in all ages for their preservation and deliverance in all cases wherein they can fall for his Truth as he hath given proof in former times towards others Vers. 9. Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace not with meats which have not profited them that have been occupied therein That they may be stedfast in the Faith he warneth them to beware that they be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines Then 1. Doctrine which agreeth 〈◊〉 with the Word of God uncouth and strange Doctrine which the Apostles did not acknowledge and recommend unto us must be rejected 2. There was such uncouth Doctrine beginning to creep into the Church even in the Apostles time 3. Apostolick Doctrine such as they acquainted the Church with must be stedfastly believed and stood unto and not loosly laid hold upon lest we lye open to the wind of false Doctrine 2. He bringeth i◠for example the Doctrine of Distinction of meats wherein the Iewishly affected did place some holiness and help to salvation and yet they who most leaned to the same were least profited thereby Then 1. To place some holiness in Distinction of meats and to count the observation thereof helpful to salvation is an old errour which even in the beginning did trouble the Church 2. Never man got profit by leaning any thing to the observation of Distinction of Meats For under the Law distinction was commanded for the leading of men to some Duties signified thereby but never did God give way that men should esteem of this observation as a thing conferring any whit to the purchase of salvation 3. To keep out this errour of leaning to Ceremonial observations he opposeth the Doctrine of Grace wherewith he will have the heart established and not with meats Then 1. The ground of devising and urging of superstitious ceremonies is the unquietness and unstableness of mens hearts wanting satisfaction in God and his Ordinances and therefore seeking to support themselves by means of their own devising 2. It is the Doctrine of Justification by Grace onely and nothing of our doings which getteth true rest to our hearts and quiet setling to the consciences Vers. 10. We have an Altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle Such as pertinaciously did plead for the standing of the Levitical Service and ceremonies thereof he secludeth from the enjoying of Iesus Christ who is our Altar Then such as maintain the Levitical Ceremonies and do urge them on the Christian Church do cut themselves from right to Christ. 1. Because they deny in effect that he is come seeing they will have those Figures to remain which did serve to Prefigure his coming and will have his Church still under Ceremonial Pedagogie as it was under the Law 2. Because they joyn unto Christ their own devices as if either JESUS were not sufficient for salvation or his Ordinances were not sufficient for means to attain thereunto 3. The observation of the Distinction of meats is a point of serving the Tabernacle for so doth the Apostle reckon 4. Such as will eat of JESUS and be partakers of him must beware to serve the Iewish Tabernacle by keeping on foot and continuing the Ceremonies and appurtenances annexed thereunto such Feasts such Iubilies such Altars such Sprinklings and Holy water such Priests and Vestiments c. as Levi had 2. He calleth Christ by the name of the Altar because he is the thing signified by the Altar and by the Sacrifice and by the rest of the Levitical Ceremonies Then 1. Those Ordinances of Levitical Service were Figures of Christ some in one part and some in another and he is the accomplishment of them even the Truth of them All The true Tabernacle the true Priest the true Sacrifice the true Altar c. 2. Christs self is all the Altar that the Christian Church hath Our Altar is he onely and nothing but he The Apostle knoweth no other 3. In that he saith They have no right to eat learn 1. That Jesus is our food who believe in him by whom our souls are kept alive and maintained every day spiritually as the Priests were maintained by the old Altar bodily 2. That before a man attain to eat or draw benefit from Christ he must have a right unto him There is a possession following the right and the right tendeth to the possession 3. He who loveth to have the right must take the course which Christ prescribeth without mixing any thing therewith Vers. 11. For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the Sanctuary by the High Priest for sin are burnt without the Camp He sheweth that
us either in the state of nature or grace and of good onely Because from him descends all good and every gift which any waies conduces to our perfection Therefore we must not say that God is the cause of evil or sin in us Of lights Argum. 5. God is the Father of lights knowledge and understanding holiness and happiness Therefore hee is not the Father of darkness or sin With God is immutable in his nature without all variableness either to worse or better From all eternity alwaies so like himself in all things that there is no foundation of changeableness of himself from himself nor the least shadow of motion or turning in him Therefore it is impossible that God should be the author of sin Vers. 18. Of his own will begat hee us with the Word of Truth that wee should be a kinde of first-fruits of his creatures Argum. 7. God moved by his will alone hath regenerated and converted us by the Word of the Gospel from the state of sin to the image of his holiness Therefore c. That wee should be Argum. 8. The end of our regeneration is intended by God that wee be holy and wholly consecrated as the first-fruits under the Law to his glory Therefore wee ought not to admit any blasphemous thoughts concerning him as if wee were moved by him to evil or sin Vers. 16. Wherefore my beloved Brethren let every man be swift tâ—â—ear slow to speak â—low to wrath The third Admonition is taken from the mentioning their regeneration by the Word of Truth That they seriously determine how they may really shew themselves religious and truly regenerate And this Admonition is threefold In the first hee teaches the manner of hearing and receiving the Word of God whereby they might be prepared to practice to vers 22. Secondly Hee commands in general that they bring the Word into practice to vers 29. Thirdly Hee commands in particular that they make manifest the virtue of their religion in the holiness of speech and in works of charity In the first branch of the Admonition touching the hearing of the Word hee requires five things 1. That they be â—eachable and desirous to learn 2 That they do not rashly precipitate their judgement or suddenly judge especially of matters of Faith 3. That they do not angerly receive them who at the first sight seem to disagree from them Vers. 20. For the wrath of mâ—n worketh not the righteousness of God Hee gives the reason of this part Because the work of God or that Righteousness which hee requires is not promoted by our passions or perturbations or by our carnal zeal and fervency Vers. 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthâ—ness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls 4. He requires that in hearing the word they cast away the sordid pleasures of the flesh and that natural pravity wherewith we all abound endeavouring repentance and mortification lest the sowing or plantation of the Divine word in them be hindred 5. That in meekness they receive the word i. e. that they admit the engrafted word with an humble and religious minde into their hearts which is engrafted and by faith taketh root in the heart and becomes one with it The reason is because the word of God so received is able to save their souls Vers. 22. But be ye doers of the word and not hearers onely deceiving your own souls In the second branch of the admonition he requires in general that they be not onely hearers of the word but also doers i. e. that they practise that which the word of God commands The reasons of which are three Reas. 1. Because otherwise they would deceive themselves thinking it enough to prove the truth of their faith that they are hearers of the word of God although they endeavour not to obey it Vers. 23. For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass 24. For he beholdeth himself goeth his way and streightway forgetteth what manner of man he was Reas. 2. Confirming the former Because it doth no more profit to hear Gods word without endeavours to practise than if any one should idlely behold his natural face in a glass without any use or benefit Vers. 25. But whose looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed Reas. 3. Because on the contrary he that doth these four 1. He that diligently looks into the word of God studiously inquiring into all the will of God which is called the Law or the Doctrine of Liberty Because it reaches the true means of freedom from sin and wrath and of serving God ingenuously as it becomes Gods freemen who are bound by love and thankfulness to please God 2. He that perseveres continuing in the study of the Doctrine of Holiness 3. He that bewareth lest he forget the things which he hath learned 4. He that endeavoureth to practise that which Gods word commands Truly he shall be blessed in his work because although it is impossible he should deserve happiness by his works yet it shall be declared by his works before all that he is blessed and in the exercise of good works as walking in the way to heaven he shall certainly obtain the blessednesse promised to the Saints and so shall be blessed in his work Vers. 26. If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans religion is vain In the third member of the admonition he requires two things 1. That they which would be Religious and truly so accounted let them bridle their tongues and attend that what they speak may be agreeable to the commands of God and approved by him He gives two reasons of this condition 1. He that doth otherwise and thinks himself Religious deceiveth his own heart 2. He is an hypocrite whom such Religion will not profit because the mouth speaketh out of the abundance of the heart he is to be accounted little to regard his heart who doth not bridle his tongue Vers. 27. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world The second thing that he requireth is That they manifest by the works of Charity and an holy conversation that they are truly Religious or that their profession of Christian faith is sincere and immaculate or that which doth not disgrace the faith they profess and that which our God and Father approveth As for the works of Charity for example he names Compassion towards the fatherless and needy in their affliction For to visit is liberally and bountifully to succour the misery and necessity of others under which duty he Synecdochically comprehends the
are bound to follow after piety and the profession of grace Therefore c. Do not fashion Argum. 4. Seeing it cannot consist with the obedience of children that ye fashion your selves to the former lusts which ruled in you before conversion Vers. 15. But as he which hath called you 〈◊〉 holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation 16. Because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy Argum. 5. Ye ought to answer your holy vocation in all kinde of holy conversation Go forward therefore c. As Argum. 6. Confirming the former There ought to be some similitude betwixt you and the Holy God who hath called you Therefore ought ye to labour after this conformity He confirms this Argument from the testimony of Scripture Lev. 11.44 Mat. 5.17 Vers. 17. And if you call on the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans work pass the time of your sojourning here in fear Argum. 7. God is the Judge of every mans works and more severely requires holiness from those that draw nigh to him and call him their Father Therefore ye ought to pass the time of your sojourning here in this life in the fear of God Vers. 18. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers Argum. 8. Ye are redeemed from all manner of vain conversation in Legal purifications separated from the thing signified and placed in humane traditions which are of no value although it may be commended to you by the example of your Fathers and by tradition Therefore unless ye would frustrate your redemption ye ought to endeavour after true piety and renounce a vain conversation Redeemed Argum. 9. By redemption ye are the hired servants of God that ye may no longer live according to your own will or the world or the Devil but according to the will of him that redeemed you Therefore ye ought to live in the faith and obedience of Christ. Vers. 19. But with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Argum. 10. The blood of Christ the Son of God dying represented by the typical Lamb is of so much excellency that it far exceeds the most precious things in this world Therefore ye ought to stand in the grace of Christ and endeavour after holiness unless ye will vilifie this price Vers. 20. Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in the last times for you Argum. 11. Although Christ from eternity was fore-ordained to the work of Redemption yet he was not manifested until the last times and that especially for your sakes who were even as the lost sheep of Israel Therefore ye are chiefly bound to glorifie God by your holiness Vers. 21. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God Argum. 12. Christ was not onely manifested for your good that are believers but also by Christ or the merit and operation of Christ that same faith whereby ye believe in God is obtained and produced in you Therefore it is meet that ye should live to God in holiness Hath raised God by raising Christ the Redeemer from the dead and by glorifying him with that glory which he had with God from all eternity hath demonstrated unto you and to all the world that Christ is truly the Son of God or truly God that your faith whereby ye believe in Christ might be found to be faith in God and so the solidness of your faith might appear to you for your greater comfort and glory Therefore ye faithful Hebrews who live after Christ is risen are so much the more bound to follow after faith and holiness that ye may please God Vers. 22. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently The Second Exhortation more especially to brotherly love There are three branches of this Exhortation Branch 1. That they love fervently not coldly not remisly as if they were ready upon small cause to hate 2. That they love with a pure heart endeavouring the good of one another not onely aiming at private advantage 3. That without hypocrisie they follow after brotherly love loving not onely in word and tongue but shewing love in deed without dissimulation without deceit Souls There are three Arguments of the Exhortation Argum. 1. It is to be presupposed that ye being justified by faith in desire in purpose and an inchoate endeavour through the virtue of the Holy Spirit have purified your souls to the sincere love of the brethren Therefore ye ought exceedingly to love one another Vers. 23. Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever Argum. 2. This brotherhood of believers is more excellent than that which is after the flesh in as much as it doth not rise from natural generation but from spiritual regeneration which requires a more firm mutual and excellent love Therefore ye ought to love one another fervently Word Argum. 3. Confirming the former This fraternity of believers as it hath its rise from an incorruptible principle so it will never perish The word of God which is the seed of our regeneration is not corruptible like the seed of natural generation Therefore ye ought exceedingly and carefully to love one another Vers. 24. For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away He confirms both parts of the comparison from the testimony of Scripture And first he proves the corruptibility of natural seed from Isa. 40.6 which declares the glory of all flesh and consequently all relation of fraternity founded in flesh to be corruptible Vers. 25. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you He proves that the seed of Regeneration is incorruptible from the testimony of the same Prophet Isaiah because the Word of the Lord abides for ever But he affirms that this is spoken touching the word of the Gospel as the matter stands because the preaching of the truth concerning salvation by Christ vouchsafed to believers is operative for the bringing of believers to life eternal Therefore it is incorruptible CHAP. II. HE proceeds in his Exhortation to duties of Piety and Holiness This Chapter contains four Exhortations Vers. 1. Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and evil speakings The first Exhortation is to love and desire of the Divine Word which he had of late commended There are two branches of the Exhortation The first touching the shunning and laying aside the vices that are familiar to corrupt nature
which may either extinguish or diminish the desire of the Divine Word Of this sort he recites five The first whereof is malice whereby any one purposely damnifies another 2. Guile whereby any one cunningly deceives his neighbour to his hurt 3. Hypocrisies or lyes in fact when one shews that good will in his countenance which he hath not in his minde 4. Envies whereby we are grieved at the good of others 5. Evil speakings whereby the fame of our neigbour is injured Vers. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby The second branch of the Exhortation is That they desirously receive the â—ound Doctrine of the Gospel as sincere milk The Arguments of the Exhortation are eleven Argum. 1. As the mothers milk is fit and natural nutriment for the infant so the Doctrine of the Gospel is meet for nourishing those that are spiritually regenerated Therefore we ought to desire and receive it Thereby Argum. 2. As infants grow up by milk so believers by the Doctrine of the Gospel and by the larger knowledge of the Divine Word grow up i. e. make further progress in newness of life Therefore ye ought to desire the Word of God Milk Argum. 3. The word is as it were spirituall rational sincere pure milk and free from all errour which can deceive no man most convenient for the feeding of the soul Therefore the Word of God is to be desired by you Vers. 3. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Argum. 4. The Word of God contains nothing besides the goodness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ towards believers whose sweetness they that have tasted cannot but desire it Therefore if ye have tasted that God is good the Word of God is to be desired by you Vers. 4. To whom coming as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious Argum. 5. Receiving the wholesome Doctrine of the Gospel as sincere milk ye come nearer every day to Christ obtaining a more straight and holy communion with him Therefore ye ought to desire the Word of the Gospel and greedily drink it in He illustrates this Argument by divers similitudes and superaddes therein other Arguments by way of Exhortation Stone Argum. 6. Confirming the former Christ will yield himself a firm and lively foundation of salvation very precious and of great esteem with God who admits no other foundation of salvation to you that drink in the milk of truth and to you that come to Christ according to the Word of God although Reprobates contemn and reject him Therefore the milk of Evangelical truth is to be drunk in and desired by you Vers. 5. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. Argum. 7. Ye drawing nigh according to the Word of the Gospel shall not finde Christ onely a solid foundation but ye your selves also by the virtue of Christ more and more built up in him into one mystical body with other believers that ye may be a spiritual Temple wherein God may dwell Therefore ye ought to desire the milk of the Word Priesthood Argum. 8. Coming to Christ according to the Word of the Gospel ye are not onely consecrated and dedicated to God as his Temple but also ye obtain an holy Priesthood that ye may offer up better Sacrifices than those typical viz. the fruit of spiritual obedience which will please God and be grateful and acceptable to him by the intercession of Christ and so ye may obtain a greater glory than the typical Temple considered in it self had Therefore ye ought to desire the Evangelical milk of the Word Vers. 6. Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner stone elect precious and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded He confirms these Arguments by divers testimonies of Scriptureâ— and applies those testimonies to the present use for the quickning the endeavours of the Hebrews after the Doctrine of the Gospel The first testimony Isa. 28.16 proving the sixth Argument severally 1. That Christ is laid by God in the foundation of the Church for a corner stone which both adorns and holds the Edifice together which is full of honour and excellency elect and precious in Gods account and was first to be manifested in Sion or the Church of the Jews that from Sion might go forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Ierusalem And that hee should become a solid foundation to those that believe hee proves from this that they which believe in him shall not be confounded Vers. 7. Vnto you therefore which believe he is precious but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner 8. And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed He confirms the last branch of the sixth Argument viz. That they ought not to be moved at the scandal given by wicked men who have rejected Christ partly because it is sufficient that Christ is precious to Believers partly because unbelievers cannot take away the honour of Christ which is given by the Father Upon this account he cites the second testimony of Scripture from Psal. 118.22 c. From whence is proved 1. That Christ must be rejected of those who had rule in the Church 2. That their endeavours should be vain 3. It should come to pass that they who would not believe in Christ or they who would stumble against this stone should be ruinated and perish And here he cites the third testimony of Scripture from Isa. 8.14 4. That none will renounce Christ but Reprobates whom God hath appointed through and for their own obstinate incredulity to deserved destruction And here is comprehended the eighth hoâ—tatory Argument to the promoting of Evangelical Doctrine and to the sucking in the milk of truth concerning Christ. Because unbelief of the Word of Truth concerning Christ is a sign of reprobate and lost men or of those designed to destruction Therefore except yee would be accounted cast-aways desire earnestly the word of the Gospel Vers. 9. But ye are a chosen generation a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknesse into his marvellous light Argum. 9. The honour of the Hebrew Nation which God gave to your Fathers Exod. 19. and elswhere is preserved in you Hebrews who believe in Christ Therefore you are bound to desire earnestly and receive the Doctrine of Faith But they are called a Royal Priesthood because they are partakers of Christs Kingdom and Priesthood yea constituted Kings and Priests by Christ. They are called a Chosen Generation because God adopted them before other people himself An Holy
with Christ in his death In whose suffering in the flesh beleevers are judged to have suffered in the flesh Therefore as they which have suffered in the flesh or are dead have ceased from sin for which they have suffered and are justified as well from sin as from the punishment of sin wherein they are already dead so you beleeving Hebrews whom I account as having judicially suffered in the flesh or as dead ought to cease from sin and no further have any thing to do with it Vers. 2. That hee no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God Argum. 3. The judicial freedome of Beleevers from sin purchased by the death of Christ is for this end that so long as wee live in this mortal life we might not spend our time in following fleshly lusts according to the will of men but fulfilling the will of God Therefore yee ought to labour that yee may bee conformable to the will of God Vers. 3. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when yee walked in lasciviousness lusts excess of Wine revellings banquettings and abominable Idolatries Argum. 4. Yee have sinned enough and too much against God in the time past of your life when yee did follow in ignorance and unbeleef the vices which did reign amongst the Gentiles against the first and second Table Now the time of Gospel light requires another carriage Therefore yee ought to follow after holiness Vers. 4. Wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot speaking evil of you 5. Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead Argum. 5. By preventing an objection Although unbeleevers may be offended at your abstaining from former vices and may blaspheme your Religion for which they shall be punished in the day of judgement yet it behoveth not you therefore to be moved because if God doth not in this life yet hee will in the day of judgement require an account of such reproaches Therefore yee ought to go forward in the study of holiness Vers. 6. For for this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to God in the Spirit Argum. 6. Serving to remove the stumbling-block laid by unbeleevers who did blaspheme and condemn Christians for the dissimilitude of their courses to their own To the faithful that are already dead or not long since or in former ages the Gospel hath been preached for this same end as to the promoting of holiness and with the same success as to the judgement of worldly men and lastly with the same hope of fruit or benefit to wit that they being condemned of men and chastised of God according to the flesh or outward man should obtain spiritual life in their souls or inward man yea and life eternal with God Therefore it is meet that yee beleeving Hebrews do not refuse to embrace the like manner and condition of life but in the same condition that yee follow after holiness Vers. 7. But the end of all things is at hand bee yee therefore sober and watch unto prayer Argum. 7. The last judgement is at hand which will put an end to the conveniences and inconveniences of this life Therefore nothing regarding either yee ought to follow after holiness Bee yee therefore From these Arguments and chiefly the last hee infers an exhortation to holiness and especially to six Christian Virtues Unto Prayer The first special Exhortation is to diligent prayer and for this end let them be sober and vigilant that they may be the more fit to pray observing every occasion of praying and that in all their affairs they so carry themselves that they be not rendred unfit for prayer Vers. 8. And above all things have fervent charity among your selves for charity shall cover the multitude of sins Exhort 2. The second special Exhortation is Charity which hee requires them chiefly to follow after above all things with singular care and that their charity bee fervent and earnest Charity Hee renders a special reason of this because Charity prevents and in preventing covers anger brawlings reproaches contentions and hatred lest they bee stirred up amongst men and break forth and spread abroad it doth repress the breaking forth of these evils and remit and cover them and therefore in the first place yee ought to follow after it Vers. 9. Use hospitality one to another without grudgings Exhort 3. To hospitality which hee commands that it be not forced but voluntary For that good turn which is done with murmuring is destitute of charity Vers. 10. As every man hath received the Gift even so minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God Exhort 4. To a mutual communication of all the gifts of God There are two reasons of the Exhortation included 1. Because gifts are of grace and are given by God for the common use As good 2. Because hee which hath the gift is not Master of it but a Steward Vers. 11. If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God if any man minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified through Iesus Christ to whom bee praise and dominion for ever and ever Amen Exhort 5. The fifth more special Exhortation That hee which speaks the word of God either out of special duty as a Pastour or Teacher or out of common dutie as other Christians in their mutual edification speak it with that reverence and Faith which becomes the word of God i. e. that speaking hee shew forth the sense of the divine word rightly conceived by Faith with that reverence which the Truth of God requires lest the name of God be taken in vain Ministreth Exhort 6. That hee which ministreth unto the necessities of others either by his assistance or goods let him perform that readily and chearfully according to the ability God hath given him The Reasons of the Exhortation are two That in all Reas. 1. That glory may be given to God both from our work and the manner of doing it Through Iesus Reas. 2. That glory may bee given to God through Christ by whose grace and virtue alone the duty is performed To whom Hee shuts up these Exhortations with giving glory to God whereunto hee is moved by the consideration of the excellency of God The Second Part. Vers. 12. Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery tryal which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you The other part of the Chapter follows wherein hee encourages Beleevers against persecutions and exhorts them not to be offended or troubled with persecutions as a new thing The Arguments of the Exhortation are thirteen all which prove that
Christ. The Arguments of the Exhortation are fourteen all which prove that wee ought to endeavour after these virtues joyntly Argum. 1. If you have obeyed the Exhortation endeavouring both to have these virtues and to abouâ—d in them yee will prove that your Faith or the knowledge of Christ in you is not idle or unfruitful but efficacious which makes you ready to every good work Therefore yee ought to obey Vers. 9. But hee that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see far off and hath forgotten that hee was purged from his old sins Argum. 2. If yee were destitute of these virtues you will declare that you see nothing afarre off but that you are onely intent upon the things of this world but blind in divine and spiritual things and unthankful towards God by whom yee confess your former sins are pardoned Therefore yee ought to endeavour after these virtues Vers. 10. Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things yee shall never fall Argum. 3. With the Exhortation repeated By endeavouring after these virtues yee will prove your selves to be effectually called and elected and will solidly confirm your selves in this perswasion Therefore follow after these virtues For these Argum. 4. If you follow after these virtues yee shall be preserved from Apostacy or falling back neither will yee yeeld to temptations Therefore yee ought to follow after these Vers. 11. For so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. Argum. 5. So a more abundant entrance into the eternal Kingdome of Christ shall be administred unto you i. e. happiness and that life eternal shall more largely open and unfold it self to you that yee may more freely and abundantly peirce into the inward parts of his Kingdome and enjoy the sense of that life in a more abundant measure Therefore follow after these virtues Vers. 12. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you alwaies in remembrance of these things though yee know them and be stablished in the present Truth Argum. 6. Preventing an Objection Although yee are established in the present Truth yet I being an Apostle have now thought out of a desire of your proficiency it necessary to exhort you which yee should in no wise reject Therefore c. Vers. 13. Yea I think it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stir you up by putting you in remembrance Argum. 7. Justice it self by reason of my Apostolical office requires that I excite you to holiness by exhortations and admonitions of this sort so long as I live Therefore be yee obedient Vers. 14. Knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle even as our Lord Iesus Christ hath shewed mee Argum. 8. As the Lord hath foretold I expect after a short time to end my life by a glorious Martyrdome Therefore as it lyes upon mee to exhort you to these virtues so it lies upon you to hearken to my Exhortation Vers. 15. Moreover I will indeavour that you may be able after my decease to have these things alwaies in remembrance Argum. 9. This Exhortation which I have written to you will be profitable to minde you of your duties even after my death Therefore hearken you to my admonitions Vers. 16. For wee have not followed cunningly devised fables when wee made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Iesus Christ but were eye-witnesses of his Majesty Argum. 10. Those things which I have taught you as touching Christs incarnation or his first coming to execute the office of a Redeemer and as touching his divine nature power sufficiency and efficacy to save the people of God are not fables artificially feigned which may be despised or negligently without use and benefit past by but they are serious and certain things Therefore yee ought to hearken to these my admonitions But as those Argum. 11. Yee have been taught by us Apostles both eye and ear-witnesses of the Truth of Christ already demonstrated so that the certainty of this Gospel was so much as were possible to be concerning things done and past For wee Apostles have perceived by our senses the Majesty of Christ to be so great that wee cannot chuse but at the sight bee rapâ— up in an extasie as it is in the history Matthew 17. conconcerning Christs transfiguration Therefore obey my Exhortations Vers. 17. For hee received from God the Father honour and glory when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Argum. 12. Christ in whose Faith and Obedience wee exhort you to persevere hath by the audible voice of his Father speaking from Heaven received a glorious testimony from the excellent glory of the Father that hee is the Son of God wherein as in a Mediatour and Surety for his redeemed people God is well pleased satisfying himself abundantly in his Mediation and purchase Therefore obey yee diligently this Exhortation Vers. 18. And this voice which came from Heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Mount Argum. 13. Those things are so holy which appertain to the Kingdome of Christ that the place it self wherein those things were declared which are preached by us was after a manner made holy viz. Because of Gods extraordinary voice and the divine glory of Christ there manifested Therefore with greater reverence yee ought to hearken to our Exhortations Vers. 19. Wee have also a more sure word of Prophecie whereunto yee do well that yee take heed us unto a light that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts Argum. 14. The Doctrine concerning Christ in whose Faith and Obedience wee exhort you to persevere is confirmed by the testimony of Scripture or a most firm prophetical word Therefore yee ought studiously to obey my Exhortations Hee staies upon this Exhortation confirming the certainty of prophetical Scripture by seven Reasons More sure Reas. 1. Because compared with other waies of revelation it is a most firm medium without and above exceptions whereto other means of revelation no less clear and true are obnoxious But this reason most especially did prevail with the Hebrews who examined visions and revelations made to the Apostles by the Scripture of the Old Testament For the divine authority of the old Scripture was confirmed in their minds some ages before Of Prophecie Reas. 2. That the testimony of foreseeing future Truth hath more evidence in it self of divine operation than the testimony of him who testifies that which hee hath seen or heard being present For no man could foresee this Truth but a Prophet every Beleever could see the Truth fulfilled Which Reas. 3. Because the word of Prophecy is worthy to be attended to by Beleevers into the sense whereof they might enquire to which truth and authority they might subject their consciences
Part. Vers. 11. For this is the message which yee heard from the beginning that wee should love one another From hence hee proceeds to the other Exhortation viz. the love of Brethren The Arguments of the Exhortation are fifteen Argum. 1. The Precept concerning the love of the Brethren is given to you by Christ from the beginning of your calling Therefore love your brethren Vers. 12. Not as Cain who was of that wicked one and slew his Brother and wherefore slew hee him Because his own works were evil and his Brothers righteous Argum. 2. The faithful ought to bee unlike to Cain the Son of the Devil and murtherer of his Brother Therefore c. Wherefore Argum. 3. Confirming and illustrating the former those that do not love their brethren but hate them shall bee found to hate the Grace of God in them and in this to bee like Cain who out of envy persecuted with hatred the Image of God in his Brother Therefore yee ought to endeavour after brotherly love Vers. 13. Marvail not my Brethren if the world hate you Argum. 4. By preventing and retorting an Objection That charity amongst Brethren ought by no means to wax cold because they see themselves hated by the world but on the contrary they ought so much the more vehemently to love one another Therefore c. Vers. 14. Wee know that wee have passed from death unto life because wee love the Brethren Hee that loveth not his Brother abideth in death Argum. 5. Wâ—e are more assured by our love of the Brethren or the love of the Image of God in them as by a certain sign that wee our selves are regenerated and translated from death to life Hee that doth not Argum. 6. Hee that loveth not his Brother remaineth unregenerate in the state of sin and death Therefore that yee may prove your selves regenerate love your Brethren Vers. 15. Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murtherer and yee know that no Murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him Argum. 7. Confirming the former Hee that doth not love his Brother hates him and therefore hee is a murtherer and consequently hee hath neither the beginnings of eternal life in himself neither right to eternal life but remains obnoxious to eternal death Therefore yee ought to love the Brethren unless yee will bee accounted such Vers. 16. Hereby perceive wee the love of God because hee laid down his life for us and wee ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren Argum. 8. Christ exceedingly loved us when hee laid down his own life for us Therefore wee imitating his example ought to love one another Wee Argum. 9. Wee owe this gratitude to Christ who hath laid down his life for us and our Brethren that wee bee ready to pour out our lives for the good of the Church or our Brethren Therefore so much the rather ought wee sincerely to affect them and perform the inferiour duties of love towards them Vers. 17. But whose hath this worlds good and seeth his Brother hath need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him Argum. 10. Confirming the former They who do not so love their brethren as to communicate of their substance to those that want being moved to it out of bowels of mercy are Hypocrites and far from that love which is ready to lay down its life for the brethren Vers. 18. My little children Let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth Hence is inferred the Exhortation it self that they testifie their mutual love in deed and in truth and not in words and in tongue onely Vers. 19. And hereby wee know that wee are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him Argum. 11. By love of the brethren as by the fruit of sincere Faith wee know that wee are sincere or truly faithful and born of God Therefore wee ought to love the brethren Before him Argum. 12. By love wee shall confirm our confidence with God and shall from this effect of Faith help conscience in the conflict of Faith to the giving of us a testimony of our absolution and justification by Faith Therefore c. Vers. 20. For if our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things 21. Beloved if our heart condemn us not then have wee confidence towards God Hee confirms this Argument by comparing of a watchful and an evil conscience in this verse in the effects of condemnation with a good conscience in the following verse in the effect of absolution as when an evil conscience condemneth him that is altogether void of brotherly love the sentence of condemnation is ratified by God the supream and omniscient Judge until they flye unto Christ so on the other side when a good conscience which howsoever it accuse us of imperfection doth not condemn us as if wee were altogether destitute of this fruit of persevering in brotherly love wee retain a confidence of going to God as our Father in Christ Therefore by following after brotherly love wee shall assure our hearts before him as it is vers 19. Vers. 22. And whatsoever wee ask wee receive of him because wee keep his commandements and do those things that are pleasing in his sight Argum. 13. Conscience of brotherly love gives confidence of obtaining those good things which wee ask of God according to his will because wee can reason from our endeavour of keeping and doing Gods Commandements which are pleasing to him that wee are of the number of those that are true beleevers who through Faith in Christ are in favour with God and whose prayers God doth not reject as hee doth the prayers of Hypocrites and wicked men Therefore yee ought to follow after brotherly love Vers. 23. And this is his Commandement that wee should beleeve on the name of his Son Iesus Christ and love one another as hee gave us commandement Argum. 14. Confirming the former and answering an objection Lest any man should abuse the things spoken before to defend the merits of works or justification by works The Commandement concerning brotherly love is consequently included in the precept of saving Faith which is to bee placed upon Christ. For when God commands Faith in Christ which works by love he also commands that wee should love one another Therefore if any man have respect to the Precept concerning Faith in the Son of God it is necessary also that hee have respect to the command touching mutual love and that hee obey it Therefore yee ought to follow after brotherly love Vers. 24. And hee that keepeth his Commandements dwelleth in him and bee in him and hereby wee know that hee abideth in us by the spirit which hee hath given us Argum. 15. In whom there is an indeavour to obey the commands of God and namely the precept touching Faith in Christ which worketh efficaciously by brotherly love hee hath communion with God and knows that hee hath
not work the love of God without love of the Brethren Therefore c. For hee Hee confirms this Argument by this Reason Because wee are more moved to love by sight than by hearing hee that loveth not his Brother whom hee hath seen and the Image of God in him hee cannot love God whom hee hath not seen Therefore the boasting of love towards God is vain where love of the Brethren is wanting Vers. 21. And this commandement have wee from him that hee who loveth God loveth his brother also Argum. 20. The same authority of God hath conjoyned the command of both requiring of all that love God that they love their Brethren also Therefore yee ought to love the Brethren CHAP. V. THe principal scope of the whole Epistle and especially of this Chapter is propounded vers 13. viz. that those who beleeve in Christ may know that they have eternal life and that knowing they have life they may more and more believe in Christ. Of the Chapter there bee two parts In the first hee describes the marks of those that are true beleevers or born again who have right to eternal life with an inchoate possession thereof to vers 6. In the second hee propounds the Arguments to move us to beleeve in Christ. Vers. 1. Whosoever beleeveth that Iesus is the Christ is born of God and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him The marks of those that are true beleevers or born again and live sincerely are six Note 1. Hee that is truly faithful or begotten of God beleeves seriously that Jesus is the promised Christ viz. the Redeemer of the world for whosoever solidly receives this truth and applies it to himself acknowledges it in his heart as the Scripture requires is born of God And every one Note 2. Hee so loves God that hee loves the Brethren or those that are begotten of him Vers. 2. By this wee know that wee love the children of God when wee love God and keep his commandements Note 3. Those that are truly faithful do so love the Brethren that they also love God and out of love to God they endeavour to keep his commandements Vers. 3. For this is the love of God that wee keep his Commandements and his Commandements are not grievous Note 4. Explicating the former They that are truly faithful demonstrate the sincerity of their love in endeavouring to observe Gods Commandements out of love to him so that his commandements how much soever they bee hard and unpleasant to the flesh yet they are not grievous but such as they desire most willingly to perform Vers. 4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our Faith Note 5. Giving the reason of the former They that are truly faithful or born again do overcome the world that is they overcome whatsoever opposes it self to the Spirit of God viz. deceits inticements and the terrours of the world and all hinderances which may draw them from obedience to Gods commandements so that their conflicts bee daily yet they do not yeeld but are sure to triumph as conquerors as often as their enemies oppose them And this Note 6. Explicating the former They that are truly faithful do not lean to their own strength in warring against the world but on Christ by Faith who hath overcome the world in their behalf and doth administer strength to them for the overcoming the world which is the most certain excellent and compleat way to conquer Vers. 5. Who is hee that overcometh the world but hee that beleeveth that Iesus is the Son of God The reason of the victory got over the world by Faith is because it is impossible that any one should overcome the world unless it bee hee that despairing of himself by Faith leans on the sole truth and strength of Jesus Christ as of the omnipotent Son of God who hath not onely overcome the world for his but doth also make all his conquerors The Second Part. Vers. 6. This is â—ee that came by water and blood even Iesus Christ not by water onely but by water and blood and it is the Spirit that beareth witness because the spirit is truth The other part of the Chapter follows wherein hee proves that wee ought to beleeve in Christ as in the Son of God The Arguments are fourteen Argum. 1. Because Jesus Christ is hee who when hee came brought with him the solid substance of Legal Ceremonies as to that which chiefly belongs to the abolishing of sin For hee came with water or with that holiness in himself and virtue for the sanctifying his which was signified by water and washings in the old Law to be in the Messias that was to come when he came And hee came with blood or with a full expiation of their sins by the propitiatory Sacrifice of his blood offered on the Cross for the taking away of the sins of his people Not by water Hee confirms that because Christ came not with one propriety of a Mediatour which is the Sanctity of his Person and virtue of sanctifying his signified by water or legal washings but hee comes also with another propriety which is expiation and full reconciliation signified by the sprinkling of blood or by the slaying of beasts The admirable symbole of which conjunction was the flowing of water and blood out of his side on the cross as our Apostle hath diligently observed in his Gospel Chap. 19.34 That wee may all know that whom Christ justifies hee also sanctifies and on the contrary those whom hee sanctifies the same hee also justifies Therefore yee ought to beleeve in Christ. The Spirit Argum. 2. The spirit witnesseth the same i. e. the manifestation of the spirit in divers gifts poured forth upon Christs Disciples witnesseth that Christ is the Son of God and by its dictate makes this firm in the hearts of those that are faithful Therefore yee ought to beleeve in Christ. Truth Hee confirms this Argument that the Spirit in these operations is true and far from all deceit because it commends nothing to us besides the Word of God or Truth it self Vers. 7. For there are three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one Arg. 3. Because as the three persons of the God-head the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost are one in essence so they also consent together in witnessing to confirm this one thing That Jesus Christ is the Son of God For the Father witnesseth of him 1 Pronouncing with an audible voice both in Christs Baptism and Transfiguration that he was his beloved Son in whom hee was well pleased 2 In the works which hee gave to Christ to finish Iob 5.16.36 Furthermore the word bears record of Christ that is Christ wherein hee is God bears record of himself being incarnate that hee is the Son of God partly affirming that very
denounced against them their hatred to their brethren is as great as that of Cain who slew his brother 6 The sixth vice is Covetousness like that of Balaam who as hee made sale of his tongue so they for filthy lucre adulterated and corrupted the Doctrine of Christ. 7 The seventh vice is Sedition like that of Core whereby they oppose themselves to the true Ministers of the Gospel and by their tumults disturb the peace of the Church who shall perish in their sedition as Core did Vers. 12. These are spots in your feasts of Charity when they feast with you feeding themselves without fear clouds they are without water carried about of winds trees whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead plucked up by the roots 8 The eighth vice was Gluttâ—ny whereby they corrupted both themselves and others by their evil examples in their Christian feasts which were designed for the encrease of love amongst them but by such like Epicures were turned into feedings of Swine whilst they cast off the fear of God and attended to nothing but gluttony and intemperance feeding their own flesh but not the souls of their Auditors 9 The ninth vice or rather an heap of vices is shadowed under divers similitudes that they were most unfit for the work of the Ministery and indeed reprobate to every good work for as empty clouds carried about with every wind that saving doctrine which they seemed to promise yeelded no dew or showres any where but frustrated the earnest expectation of their hearers and although they bear the shew of good fruit and boast themselves to bee such yet they are but autumne and fruit-spoiling trees because if they promise any fruit yet they bring it to no ripeness or maturity Much rather may they bee called unfruitful in as much as they bring forth no wholesome fruit neither in themselves nor their followers And as trees cut down withered and rooted up they leave no hopes of bringing forth any fruit so they continue in their wickedness dead by nature and by their further wickedness contract judicial hardness of heart as if dead the second time and now given up to a reprobate sense all hope is gone of their repentance and amendment Vers. 13. Raging waves of the Sea foming out their own shame wandring Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever Lastly Such they are that cannot leave off to bee wicked but like waters of the boiling Sea alwaies they discover their filthiness nor are they more constant in their doctrine than wandring Stars in their motion Against whom hee denounces the most palpable and deep infernal darkness as the just meed of their wickedness Vers. 14. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints 15. To execute judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Arg. 6. Whereby hee proves that wee should beware of seducers c. Because Enoch the seventh inclusively from Adam by a spirit of prophecie foretold of the sins of these Impostors and their condemnation in the day of judgement when Christ shall bring along with him myriads of Saints and Angels to execute judgement upon all the ungodly and especially will punish those who have stubbornly used their tongues against God and his most holy Truth Concerning the prophecie of Enoch whether it was written before or no or how the Apostle came to know the Truth of it wee say the same as before that the Spirit of God which spake in Enoch dictated the same to the Apostle even that which by Enoch hee had foretold long before both what and how much hee should commit to writing the same was prescribed to the Apostle Vers. 16. These are murmurers complainers walking after their own lusts and their mouth speaketh great swelling words having mens persons in admiration because of advantage That a conclusion may bee drawn touching the destruction of these seducers according to the prophecie of Enoch and that by consequence they are to bee avoided by way of assumption hee shews these seducers to bee such as Enoch had described them to bee destroyed from four marks 1 The first mark They were murmurers and complainers never content with their condition no waies satisfied concerning the righteous ordinations of God in Church or Common-wealth impatient of any restraint they carp'd at every thing and discommended all things 2 They appointed to themselves a rule neither from divine Laws in divine or Ecclesiastical things nor from humane Laws in humane or civil Affairs but onely their own wills and pleasures 3 Though they were the vilest slaves to their own lusts yet that they might maintain some esteem where there was none to controul their insolency they spake high swelling words in a lofty stile ordered to create admiration with the people 4 On the other side if there were any that they feared or from whom they hoped for any gain those they unworthily flattered highly esteemed them admired them cryed them up they nothing regarding whether they were worthy or unworthy Vers. 17. But beloved remember yee the words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ 18. How that they told you there should bee mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts Arg. 7. Wee must beware of seducers because the rest of the Apostles foretold that such Sons of Belial should arise in the Church as Enoch had foretold Vers. 19. These bee they who separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit That a conclusion may bee drawn for the avoiding the forementioned seducers hee affirms that theâ— with whom they had to do were Impostors and that by two marks The first mark That they separated themselves from the true Church of Christ and from the sound doctrine of the Apostles not out of any necessity or from any divine warrant but onely upon their own pleasure that they might not abide under the Lords yoak or his discipline The second mark They were Natural having not the Spirit Because they being void of Regenerating Grace onely savoured and followed the things to which Nature leads or natural Reason not divinely illuminated therefore they were destitute of the Spirit or of the Grace of God sanctifying It remains that sense and the flesh should reign in full power and would force them to all pollutions both of body and soul. Vers. 20. But yee Beloved building up your selves on your most holy Faith praying in the Holy Ghost Arg. 8. Proving perseverance in the Faith propounded by way of precept against the contrivances of these seducers Because the Holy Ghost hath prescribed the means by which both they may persevere as also they that have fallen back may bee recovered And hee propounds a Reason whereby they may slight the devices of