in Religion instead of great and needful things 21. Jesus saith unto her Woman believe me the hour cometh vvhen ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem Worship the Father 21. Alass poor woman hast thou not greater matter than Ceremony even the Place of Worship to mind Believe me that time is hard at hand when Jerusalem shall be destroyed and you scattered and a better way of Worship setled so that you shall no more keep up your Ceremonious Worship either at Shiloh or Jerusalem 22. Ye vvorship ye knovv not vvhat vve knovv vvhat vve Worship For Salvation is of the Jevvs 22. You worship ignorantly and corruptly you know not what ever since the Captivity of the Ten Tribes and you strive about the Place and Ceremonies when you have more need to learn who he is that you must worship It is of the Tribe of Judah that the Saviour cometh who must teach you how to worship God and this the Jews do rightly believe and own none in Worship but the true God 23. But the hour cometh and novv is vvhen the true Worshippers shall vvorship the Father in Spirit and in Truth For the Father seeketh such to worship him 23. The time is now at hand yea come when true Worshippers shall not take up with shadows nor worship God by Mosaical Ceremonies or Samaritane Traditions but with that spiritual Worship which Types and Ceremonies did signifie even from the Spirit of God within them as their Principle and according to the spiritual Law or Word as their Rule and not with bodily Exercise that profiteth nothing 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth 24. Acceptable Worship must be suited to the God you worship and therefore they that worship him must worship him spiritually and not by Jewish Ceremony because he is a Spirit N. Though Spirit signifie a Nature more excellent than Body yet that and all human Words are too low to speak the Essence of God any otherwise than Analogically or Metaphorically for God is above all our formal Conceptions or Expressions but created Spirits being the highest created Beings known to us and our souls of that nature they are the clearest Glass in which we can know God and though the word Spirit first signifie created Spirit it doth transcendently eminently signifie the Infinite Father of Spirits and we can say nothing higher of Gods Essence than that he is this Infinite perfect transcendent Spirit what our best Conceptions of a Spirit are I have opened in Methodo Theologiae c. 25. The Woman saith unto him I know that Messias cometh who is called Christ when he is come he will tell us all things 25. N. Even the Samaritans expected the Messiah But with misconceivings of him 26. Jesus saith unto her I that speak to thee am he 26. N. Why did Christ tell that to this woman which he forbad others to tell abroad Ans He knew where and when it was seasonable and would do more good than harm 27. And upon this came his Disciples and marvelled that he talked with the Woman yet no man said what seekest thou or why talkest thou with her 27. Tho they presumed not to ask him why yet they thought it strange that he should talk so long with one woman 28. The Woman then left her Water-pot and went away into the City and saith to the Men 29. Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did Is not this the Christ 28. Telling her her secrets perswaded her to believe him saying I am he 30. Then they went out of the City and came unto him 31. In the mean time his Disciples prayed him saying Master eat 32. But he saith to them I have meat to eat that ye know not of 33. Therefore said the Disciples one to another hath any man brought him ought to eat 34. Jesus saith to them my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work 30. c. N. The converting of one Soul was more pleasing to Christ than his natural food and so must it be to us He that loveth God and Christ and the Holy Ghost and the Church must rejoyce when there is one more converted to please and worship God to honour Christ and his Spirit to encrease the Church He that loveth his Country must rejoyce that one more is made a blessing to it when the wicked are it's enemies He that loveth Souls will rejoyce in that Grace which is better to them than all riches He that loveth Gods Word will rejoyce in it's success He that loveth Heaven will be glad that there is one more to possess it He that loveth himself aright will be glad that there is one more made like him to love him and pray for him And he that hateth Sin and Satan will be glad that there is one less to serve him 35. Say not ye There are four months and then cometh harvest Behold I say unto you lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest 35. You rejoyce that within four months it will be harvest And shall not I rejoyce to see the harvest of my husbandry even at hand in the conversion of many Souls to God 36. And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life eternal that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoyce together 36. And as I sow the seed so you that I shall senâ— out as Apostles shall see and reap more plenteous fruit hereafter and shall for your labour under me be well rewarded that I that have sowed and you that reap may rejoyce together in the success 37. And herein is that saying true One soweth and another reapeth 38. I have sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour Other men laboured and ye are entred on their labours 38. The Prophets and John and I after all have sowed the seed and been at the costliest labour and yet it is you that must see the success in gathering the universal Church when I that labour'd and suffer'd am gone 39. And many of the Samaritans of that City believed on him for the saying of the woman which testifyed He told me all that ever I did 39. N. That to believe in Christ by the means of mens credible testimony of his Words and Miracles is not as many falsly say to resolve our faith into the credit of man and to make it a meer humane Faith They that believe Apostles who said they saw Christs Miracles Resurrection and Ascention believe by a divine Faith on the same evidence that the Apostles were convinced by but not conveyed by the same means what they received by their eyes and ears immediately we receive mediately by their report living at a distance So that their testimony is not believed instead of Christs nor instead of evidence of his truth but as the conveyance of this
David's indeed but all such are written in Scripture to teach us also Patience and imitation of such examples of Charity and so to confirm our hope 5. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus 5. I know the danger of this selfish uncharitable humour of imposing Mens own Opinions on all others as terms of their Communion with them and therefore as I have used this long and plain exhortation against it I shall also pray for you that the God who is patient with the weak and is their Comforter and yours will grant you so much Grace and Charity as to make you imitators of him and of the Love and Condescension of Christ and to bear with others and do by them as you would be born with and used your selves 6. That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God even the father of our Lord Jesus Christ 6. That you may with Unity and Concord hold your holy Communion for worshipping God without uncharitable Excommunications or Separations vilifying or censuring each other which can never be expected by driving each one to agree in small unnecessary things or without bearing with the mistakes and differences of one another when all are guilty of many mistakes and such differences must still be expected 7. Wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God 7. I conclude therefore by beseeching you to receive one another with Love to your Communion and Kindness as you would be Christian imitators of Christ and as you are sensible of his needful Mercy to your selves in receiving us that once were Enemies and still have manifold sins and errours to the glorifying of God's Love and Mercy And pretend not your Knowledge or Authority or Piety against so commanding a Motive and Example ANNOTATIONS on the former Chapter and this THe Subject of the former Chapter is handled on thus far and here that Chapter should have ended He that understandeth the former and present State of the Christian Churches and the Pride and Ignorance to which Man is liable will easily perceive that it was not in vain that the Spirit of God did by the Apostle handle and decide this Case of receiving Dissenters in tollerable Cases into Love and Communion The Jews were so tied up from Legislation in God's Matters by the knowledge of God's Prerogative in their Theocracy that they had less room for the Canons and Engines of Mans making to exercise their Pride and Uncharitableness by than the Romanists have since done And yet the Pharisees plaid their part and by their Traditions made void the Law of God and preferr'd their Ceremonies before the weighty Matters of the Law and would not understand what that meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice and thereby did condemn the guiltless And Christ found the Samaritans and Jews at the Debate Whether in this Mountain or at Jerusalem men ought to worship overlooking that Worship which is in Spirit and in Truth And alas what work have Domination unnecessary Canons and Censures made in the Christian Churches these 1300 years And it is an Instance what power Blindness and Prejudice and Worldly Interest have to frustrate the plainest Decisions of God's Word that so full and express a Decision as these two Chapters make with 1 Cor. 12. and Eph. 4. and James 3. hath signified as little with the Dividers and Proud almost as if there had been no such written And yet such Men call for a Judge of Controversies because of the pretended Obscurity of the Scriptures when nothing can be plainer than this which they despise They mean that such as they must be Judges and God shall make the Words if they may make the Sense How great is the number that go on the two sides of Uncharitableness here reproved especially on that which is largeliest insisted on One side saith All God's Truths are precious and none must be sold for Peace and we must not partake of other Mens Sins As if our great Duty of Love Forbearance and Communion were our Sin or a partaking of the Faults of all that we joyn with The other Side pretend 1. That Paul only requireth Forbearance in things Indifferent undetermined by Governours and not after such a Command or Determination 2. Or that he giveth only a Temporary Rule for the present Concord of Jews and Gentiles till the setled Church should take a contrary Course I will not here answer these at large having done it in my Book called The only Way of the Churches Concord But I say That I despair of reducing that Man to the Truth herein who shall continue of either of these Opinions after he hath seriously perused the Text and hath considered 1. That St. Paul here useth I think above twenty Arguments from Morality and common Christian Duty which he would not do for a mutable Case which Bishops may change when they will 2 That Rome was then a famous Church and therefore had Pastors or one at least and that he writeth to the whole Church and therefore to the Pastors And sure he never meant The Clergy shall receive such Dissenters to Communion and neither by Canon or Practice cast them out till they think meet to do otherwise and till have made such Canons Paul doth not so play with Contradictions in so long and grave a Reprehension 3. That St. Paul oft puts himself in as under the same Obligation with the rest And if an Apostle called from Heaven may not do what 's here forbidden what Bishops can preteâ—d a Right to do it by greater Authority or Wisdom But they that have not known the Way of Peace may say something against the fullest and plainest Description of it and the sharpest Reproofs of God himself But he will expound these Chapters to their Consciences if ever he make them Healers of his Church As to those that say It is not Church-Communion that Paul here speaks of I refer them to the plain Text and Dr. Hammond's Annotations which they value The God of Love and Peace hath given Laws for Love and Peace so strict and full and clear that all World may see that it is not he that alloweth the Canons or Censures which have so long torn the Churches 8. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the Circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers 9. And that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercy 8 9. And that you may understand my Argument from the Example of Christ I say that it was his Office to reconcile both Jews and Gentiles to God who will receive them both And therefore they should live as reconciled to each other Christ was a Mininister of God circumcised being a Jew and personally exercised his Ministry among them to perform Gods true Promises to the Fathers And yet his Gospel extendeth to the Gentiles also that
fellow-souldier but your messenger and he that ministred to my wants 25. But I thought good to send you back Epaphroditus who is my Brother and Fellow-labourer and Messenger who from you supplied my wants 26. For he longed after you all and was full of heaviness because that ye had heard that he had been sick 26. He longed to be with you and comfort you by the sight of his health hearing that his sickness made you sad 27. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death but God had mercy on him and not on him onely but on me also lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow 27. He was nigâ— to death but God in mercy to him and me recovered him not adding his death to my affliction 28. I sent him therefore the more carefully that when ye see him again ye may rejoyce and that I may be the less sorrowful 28. Note That Mercys restored after Danger affect us more than those continued in Prosperity 29. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold such in reputation 30. Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death not regarding his life to supply your lack of service toward me 29 30. Receive him gladly as returned to you by God and account such honourable for it was for the work of Christ that he willingly hazarded his Life by his Travels and labour to be serviceable to me as your Messenger in your stead CHAP. III. 1. FInally my brethren rejoyce in the Lord. To write the same things to you to me indeed is not grievous but for you it is safe 1. Finally Brethren serve God with joyful hearts That I write to you the same things which I have formerly taught you and warned you of is not through sloth of cowardise in me but for your own safety as fittest for you 2. Beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the concision 2. To wit that you take heed of the worrying hurtful sort of Men who live in wickedness and calling themselves the Circumcision are indeed the Concision that cut and rend the Churches 3. For we are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh 3. For we are the Children of Circumcised Abraham who worship God in Spirit and Truth and have no confidence in Fleshly Priviledges or Carnal Ceremonious Jewish Worship 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more 4. Though if Judaism were matter of trust or boasting I have more such cause than any of them 5. Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin an Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law a Pharisee 6. Concerning zeal persecuting the church touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless 5 6. I was Circumcised as the Law required I was an Israelite a Benjamite an Hebrew a Pharisee the strictest Sect in Religion not cold in Religion but a zealous persecutor of the Church which I thought had been against it And as to the outward observance of the Law of Moses I seemed to Men so just and harmless that none accused me 7. But what things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ 7. But I willingly disclaim all confidence in these and reject all as loss that would keep me from Christ 8. Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ 8 9. Yea I reject all as loss and hurtful to me which stand against the excellency of the knowledge of Christ for whom I have readily suffered the loss of all things and count them but as Dung in order to my part in Christ and that I may be found in him 9. And be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith 9. Not having and trusting not in that Righteousness which consisteth in keeping the Law of Moses which is of my own Works and I accounted formerly to be my justifying Righteousness but that which is of Faith in Christ even the Righteousness which is of Gods free Gift by believing acceptance of his purchased and offered Grace 10. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his death 10. By which I shall gain the knowledge of Christ and of the great Mystery of Salvation by him and the powerful work of his Grace and quickening Spirit and preserving Providence answering in his Members that power that raised him from the Dead and a Communion with him in sufferings by which I shall be made conformable to him as Crucified for our sins and thus in all be made as a Member suitable to him that is my Head 11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead 11. In hope that by all these means and methods which I account not too dear I may at last attain that blessed perfection in which I shall be also like him as he is now risen from the Dead and glorified in the state of Immortality 12. Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus 12. Not that I have already attained this Conformity to my Glorified Lord or were already perfect by reaching all that I pursue But I run as for this Prize and earnestly strive that at last I may lay hold on and attain the state of Glory to bring me to which Jesus Christ did elect redeem and call me to himself 13. Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before 14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus 13 14. I know I have not yet attained the end that I ran for even glorious Perfection But this I do not minding the things of the World which I have forsaken but neglecting and forgetting them and with all my might and diligence striving towards the things which are before I press or hasten towards the Mark for that glorious Crown and Prize for obtaining whereof the high Calling of God by Jesus Christ hath encouraged me to seek and hope 15. Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you 15. And let all that are sound and sincere Christians holding these things that are necessary to Salvation be thus minded and with joint endeavour confessing our Defects
come till the Jews Rebellion and Revolt from the Romans provoke them to destroy them and then will the wicked Destroyer appear even the Roman Imperial Pride and Rage who exalt themselves above all Humane Power and will arrogate the Name and worship of Gods and put down Gods own instituted Worship and will have Altars and Images erected to themselves 6. What delayeth them yet you know They are killing one another for Empire at Rome and the sin of the poor Jews against Christ and his Apostles is not yet ripe for utter ruine and then next the destroyer will appear For their Self-idolizing is already at work as Caligula's attempt assureth us with Nero's Pride and Cruelty Onely the foresaid impediments at Rome c. do stop the Desolation and Abomination till it be removed and then it will invade the Holy City and Temple and Judea shall feel the Roman Pride and Idolatry Who come as from Satan with all the help that he can give them by Powerful Armies and with the Countenance of the Roman Idolaters Learning and Magicks and Lying Oracles and wonders such as Vespasian pretended to work and the Virtues that his Son Titus made ostentation of And with all the deceitful Learning and Arts which may countenance Idolatry and Wickedness and beguile Men fitted to destruction Because these poor Jews received not the Gospel in Love that they might be saved by Christ and many Christians proved Hypocrites and Formalists and Hereticks therefore God penally will let loose upon them the Learned Roman Idolaters with their Arts and Subtlety and advantages of Power to delude them to worship Idols which are Lying Vanities And so they that would not believe the Truth but had pleasure in Unrighteousness might be left to be their own destroyers by believing and practising the Idolatry and Wickedness which will damn them The Matter of all these three Expositions in it self hath a great deal of Truth that is Mahomet is an Antichrist most notorious The Pope as pretended Universal Head of the Church corrupting Christianity in Doctrine Worship and Discipline and bloodily destroying Sounder Christ is one sort of Antichrist The Roman Pagan Idolaters that set up the Desolating Abomination were no less But which this Text meaneth I know not But I detest that Opinion that maketh all the Visible Church Idolatrous and Antichristian since Constantine delivered it from Pagan Persecution Sure such should not now complain of Persecution but fear Deliverance and Prosperity 13. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth 13. But when I speak of this pernicious Apostasie of the followers of this Man of sin and perdition it mindeth me to be thankful to God for you that from the beginning he hath chosen and marked you out for Salvation by Sanctifying you by his Spirit and giving you a found belief of that truth which these Apostates do deny Note That Gods election Connecteth the End and Means whom he chooseth to Salvation he at once chooseth to Sanctification and Confirmed Faith 14. Whereunto he called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ 14. And I am thankful that my preaching the Gospel was the means by which he called you hereto and to obtain your part with Christ in Glory 15. Therefore brethren stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught whether by word or our epistle 15. Therefore stand fast and hold the same Doctrine which I have delivered to you whether by Preaching Discourse or Writing against all Innovating Seducers 16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace 17. Comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work 16 17. And I have great incouragement to pray for you in hope that you may be comforted and established in all that is good because it is to that Christ that is our Saviour and God who is our Father and hath already shewed that he loveth us and hath by his Grace given us solid hope and the foretaste of the everlasting consolation CHAP. III. 1. FInally brethren pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you 1. And as I pray for you pray ye for us that the word of God may run abroad with speed and prosperous success and not be stopt or hindred by persecutors contradictions or Scandalous Seducers but may be honoured by free and full reception and obedience as it is with you which praise I give you to encourage you 2. And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for all men have not faith 2. And that our Persons may be preserved and our Preaching prosper against all the endeavours of absurd and wicked Men who are our adversaries For faithless Men are every where against us 3. But the Lord is faithful who shall stablish you and keep you from evil 3. But tho Men be faithless who resist me we have a faithful God who will confirm you and keep you from Satan and from evil 4. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you that ye both do and will do the things which we command you 4. And we have good hope that you will still follow the Precepts which we give you from the Lord. 5. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ 5. To which end I pray that God would direct your Hearts to love himself and patiently to wait for Christ and these two Graces will keep you in obedience from backsliding 6. Now we command you brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition which he received of us 6. And this is one of the Commands which in the name of Christ I have to deliver you to preserve you from revolting viz to keep your Society clean from Scandal by avoiding the familiar company of every one professing Christianity who liveth disorderly and not according to the Law of Christ which we delivered to him Note 1. That there is a degree of avoiding Familiarity with a disorderly Christian to shame him into Repentance and to preserve our selves and the Honour of Christianity which is short of a publick Declarative Excommunication and casting out of the Church It is justly called Suspension because a Man is not to be Excommunicate till he be proved obstinately Impenitent But a Man that is guilty of a notorious scandalous sin may be suspended while he is under tryal whether he will repent or not 2. Note That this Command of withdrawing from the disorderly doth not require that we withdraw from the Church when