Chrysostomes owne word according to the institutions of Christ from God giuen vnto vs and not according to mens owne deuices or to the doctrines and traditions of any other Thus hauing interpreted the words and proued my interpretation by the signification of the adiectiue here vsed and by the like place of Peter where the same adiectiue is vsed and by all men so interpreted as I haue interpreted here let vs a little more amply speake of the matter it selfe both as it is the confirmation of the former maine exhortation and as also this fourth adiunct your seruice of the word is the meanes whereby our said sacrifice of our selues is made liuing holy and well pleasing to God Touching the first the whole argument is this That seruice that God hath required in his word is to be performed vnto him But God requireth in his word this seruice that we should present our selues a sacrifice liuing holy and well pleasing vnto him Therefore this sacrifice is to be presented vnto him If any man shall think these words to be rather a confirmation of the last former adiunct of this sacrifice well pleasing to God it commeth to the same passe For the confirmation of this one branch of the exhortation is the confirmation of all The proposition or first part of this argument viz. that that seruice that God requireth in his word is to be performed vnto him or is well pleasing vnto him This I say is so euident that it needeth no further proofe or speech but onely this that whatsoeuer is contrary to the word or more then the word requireth in matter or in maner is abominable to the Lord and reiected by the Lord with this deniall thereof Who required this at your hands And Isay ◠12. Isay 29. 13. againe Forasmuch as this people draweth neare vnto me with their mouth c. and their feare toward me is taught by the precept of men therefore behold I will do a maruellous worke amongst this people c. On the contrary therefore whatsoeuer seruice is according or agreeable vnto the word or commanded in the word that is to be performed to God that is well pleasing vnto him Moreouer the former proposition is manifest by the perfection of the word to conuert the soule to giue wisdome Psal 19. 7. 8. to the simple to reioyce the heart and to enlighten the eyes Yea this perfection is further manifest by the commendation of the word by Paul to make the man of God perfect 2. Tim. 3. 17. and throughly furnished vnto euery good worke For what meaneth the Apostle by the man of God The Minister of the word often else where so called because he is employed by God in his speciall seruice and the greatest worke of all other the saluation of mens soules the perfecting Ephes 4. 12. of the Saints the reedifying of the bodie of Christ God hath also commended the perfection of the word Deut 4. 2 12 13 Pro. 30. 6. Reu. 22. 19. by forbidding any thing to be added thereunto or detracted from it And indeed is it not as much a life is worth for any man employed by any Prince either in ambassage or in any other commission of great moment either to go beyond his commission or not to go so farre as thereby he is enioyned Such dealing is no better then treason What then is to be said of like dealing with God in his word Did Balaam say If Balack would giue me his house full Numb 22. 18. 24 13. of siluer and gold I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord to do lesse or more Did this sorcerer I say whose teeth watered and fingers itched after Balacks siluer and gold so speake and shall not all Christians speake the same and acknowledge the word so perfect in euery respect that nothing is to be done lesse or more then the word warranteth This word especially being now euery way so perfect as it is and as we shall againe in this treatise haue occasion to shew it to be Is it not further said that these Ioh. 20. 31. things are written to make vs beleeue that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God and that beleeuing we might haue life through his name If by those things that are written we may haue faith whereby to haue eternall life what would we more or what need we more Many things were spoken and done the which particularly are not written yet this is enough that those things that are written are sufficient for faith and eternall life To charge the written word with want of any thing necessarie to saluation either to be beleeued or to be obeyed by any particular persons or by whole Churches is to charge God either with insufficiencie and inabilitie to inspire the writers of the word withall or with want of will so to do or at least to impute vnfaithfulnesse and negligence vnto the said writers Either of the two former is blasphemous For no insufficiencie can be layed Rom. 16. 27. vpon God because he is most wise and onely wise yea he 1. Tim. 1. 17. Iude. 25. is so wise that he hath confounded and daily doth consound the wisedome of the wise and bringeth to nothing the vnderstanding 1. Cor. 1. 19. 20. of the prudent and maketh foolish the wisedome of the world Euen the foolishnesse of God is wiser then men c. ver 25. Yea such is the wisedome of God in his word that as the Apostle accounteth them fooles that do not vnderstand Ephes 1. 17. it so the Prophet denieth them that were accounted the great wise men of Iuda to haue any wisedome in them Ier. 8. 9. because they had reiected the law of the Lord. To denie God to be willing is directly contrary to the Apostle that from God hath said that God will haue all men that is all 1. Tim. 2. 4. sorts of men to be saued and come to the knowledge of the truth Touching the third point of vnfaithfulnesse of the writers it cannot stand without impeachment to God and Christ Iesus by whom they were appointed to write And doth not Paul say that Christ had accounted him faithfull 1. Tim. 1. 1◠Were not the rest faithfull as well as Paul What a weakning of the faith of the elect is this to say that the Prophets and Apostles were vnfaithfull that in respect of their doctrine are called the foundation of the Church Ephes 1. 20. Here before I come to the vse of this doctrine let me insert something touching the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seruice about the which the Papists in euery place where it is vsed make a kind of tumult distinguishing it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ascribing the former as proper onely to God and saying that the other is to be communicated to Angels to Saints to Images c. But this distinction is both new and also vaine or idle It is new
places Onely herein is the difference that in the one place he saith the mercies plurally and in the other the meeknesse and gentlenesse singularly secondly that in the one place there is the name of God in the other of Christ By mercies he meaneth also in this place Gods works of mercie onely concerning our soules and the life to come For this word therefore referreth vs onely to those things that the Apostle had before written euen to all those passages of Gods dealing before mentioned and before in part recapitulated by me as to iustification by faith without the workes of the Law c. In all the former part of the Epistle the Apostle had not mentioned any mercie of God concerning this life all before said concerneth euerlasting saluation Now by speaking plurally of mercies he noreth that all All the mercies of God do concurre in the saluation of any Ephes 4. 7. the former mercies of God do concurre and must concurre to the saluation of euery one appointed to saluation Whosoeuer hath one hath all One is not enough without all Yet this is to be vnderstood first of all common mercies I meane common to all the elect secondly of all such in seuerall measures There are many mercies of the life to come specially belonging to some speciall persons as appeareth by those particulars here mentioned in verses 6. 7. 8. All such graces are not necessarie for all neither do concurre in all The speciall workes 1. Cor. 12. 4. also of Gods mercie to speciall callings are not all alike and wrought in equall measure But to euery one is giuen grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ And there vers 6. are diuersities of gifts but the same Spirit And in this Chapter Hauing gifts differing c. And what need so graue an admonition in verse 3. by the grace giuen to Paul that euery man among these Christian Romanes should not thinke of himselfe more highly then he ought to thinks if all mercies or graces were alike in all Gods mercies to come greater then any past or present Not to stand any longer hereupon but to proceed by the mercies of God in this place he meaneth not onely mercies past and mercies present but also mercies to come which are greater then any we haue had or haue First because they shall be in heauen whereas these are all here below Secondly because they shall be without feare of any losse of any depriuation of any of diminution Thirdly they shall not be by degrees as here but all at once and euerlasting But are our mercies here vncertain Not so yet in respect of our weaknesse and of the multitude 2. Cor. 7. 1. and power of our aduersaries both without vs and Philip. 2. 12. 1. Pet. 1. 17. also within vs we are neuer without feare neither must be not of losing but of ceasing them and of weakning and obscuring our assurance of them Fourthly Gods mercies to come are greater then any past or present because they shall be without any misery at all And as in these respects they are greater so they are also as certaine as those that here already we haue And the mercies of God which here we haue are assurances Gods future mercies as sure as any past or present Numb 23. 19. Iam. 1. 17. Heb. 6. 17. 1. Pet. 1. 19. of those we shal haue And for our better assurance of them we are first of all to consider the immutable promise of God bound with a solemne oath euen by his owne name Secondly they are as sure as those that we haue in respect of the great price of our redemption euen the precious blood of Christ Iesus For hath Christ redeemed vs with so great a price and will he lose vs Thirdly in respect of Christs intercession in our behalfe for those mercies first whilest he was here in earth secondly Ioh. 17. 24. Rom. 8. 32. Ioh. 11. 42. now in heauen This reason is the stronger because Christ is heard alwayes and God cannot but heare him because he is his Sonne in whom he is well pleased Mat. 3. 17. 1. Pet. 3. 18. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. and he was alwayes iust neuer sinning either in any other thing or in praying Fourthly as before he did and now doth make intercession for vs so it was the end of his ascending into heauen to prepare a place for vs. Hath he prepared a place for Ioh. 14. 2. vs and shall we be frustrated of it Fiftly Christ hath not onely promised these future mercies but also vpon his promise and to bind himselfe the more to the performance thereof he hath giuen vs the earnest of his Spirit Will he lose his earnest Can any force 2. Cor. 1. 22. Ephes 1. 13 1â— withhold that from him for which he hath giuen earnest or can we withhold our selues Hereunto belongs our sealing by the Spirit of redemption Are not mens writings â— phes 4 30. sure that are sealed and shall not the writings of God and of Christ Iesus sealed in our hearts with a seale of such a price be much surer God Spirit is the seale of our redemption to assure vs both that we are already redeemed Tit. 2. 14. from all iniquitie and also that we shall be redeemed from all miseries of this life and from death it selfe as they are punishments of sinne so that we may say euen whiles we liue here Death is swallowed vp into victory O Hos 13. 14. 1. Cor. 15. 54. 55 death where is thy sting O graue where is thy victory Sixtly the mercies of God to come are as sure as those that we haue because in the former respects God is not Heb. 6. 10. See more in Chap. 1. in the end Ioh. 13. 1. Rom. 11. 29. Gen. 27. 33. vnrighteous that he should forget our works and labour of loue c. Seuenthly whom God loueth he loueth to the end and the gifts and callings of God are without repentance Did Isaac say of Iacob I haue blessed him and he shall be blessed and wicked Pilat to the wicked Iewes of the title of Christ that he had written vpon the crosse What I haue written Ioh. 19. 19. 22. Luk 10. 20. Philip. 4. 3. Reuel 3. 5. I haue written and shall not God say the same much more of them whom he hath blessed and whose names he hath written in heauen and in the booke of life Eightly There shall arise false Christs and false Prophets Math. 24. 24. and shall shew great signes and wonders insomuch that if it were possible the very elect shall be deceiued It is not therefore possible that they should be deceiued and consequently that they should perish Ergo they shall be most certainly saued Ninthly all partake of the mercies of God before spoken Ephes 5. 30. 1. Cor. 12. 14. of in this Epistle are one with Christ Iesus by which vnion they as certainly
our whole life time fare the better but the soule it selfe touching the euerlasting life and glorie thereof shall haue no benefit by whatsoeuer seruice is done to God or duties performed to men by the whole bodie or any part thereof not working with and from the soule No man shall liue by the faith of another himselfe not beleeuing so shall not the soule haue any benefit for the life to come by all the works of the bodie alone except it selfe also worke with the bodie and the bodie also by it yea the bodie it selfe shall haue no benefit for the glorifying and making thereof like to the glorious body of Philip. 3. 21. Christ vnlesse all that it doth come from the soule Sometime soule and bodie do fare and shall fare the better by the works onely of the soule as by the meditations and by the prayers and supplications of the soule alone when the bodie being some way oppressed cannot ioyne with the soule as Hanna oppressed with griefe could not pray with her tongue and yet speaking in her heart and powring 1. Sam. 1. 13. 15. out her soule vnto the Lord she obtained her desire but neither the soule alone nor bodie alone nor both ioyntly shall fare the better for eternall life by any works whatsoeuer or by any sacrifices whatsoeuer of the bodie alone without the soule working with the bodie Because Isai 29. 13. 14. the Iewes drew neare to God with their mouth and with their lips did honour him remouing their hearts farre from him and that their feare towards him was taught by the precept of men as many amongst vs do many things more by the law of man then by the word of God Therfore the Lord threatneth to proceed by that word noting a beginning already made as for the ingratitude of good King Hezekiah 2. Chro. 32. 25. the wrath of God began against him and Iudah and Ierusalem and to do a maruellous worke and a wonder euen that the wisedome of the wise men should perish and the vnderstanding of the prudent men should be hâ—d Oh the Lord keep vs from this iudgement for what greater almost can there be For what was it else but so to strike their great Statesmen that did manage and gouerne their whole Common-wealth with a kind of phrensie and madnesse that they should not be able to do any thing but suffer all to go to wracke like to that of great Nebuchadnezzar whom the Lord for his pride smote with such madnesse that he was Dan. 4. 25. not fit for the societie of men and therefore was cast out to liue and feed with beasts for seuen yeares together or like to that of Achitophel who for his wisedome was in 2. Sam. 16. 23. that estimation that the counsell that he counselled in those dayes was as if a man had enquired of the oracle of God him notwithstanding for his pride in ioyning with Absolon against Dauid whose counseller he had bin the Lord Chap. 17. 23. so smote with a kind of phrensie that in his said phrensie being malecontent that Absolon had preferred the counsell of Hushai before his he went to his house and hanged himselfe Could there be a greater madnesse then to hang himselfe So to ouerthrow the wisedome of the wise as the Lord before threatned which were as it were the eyes of the whole people was to put out their eyes as Iudg. 16. 21. the Philistins put out the eyes of Samson by the iust iudgement of God for breaking his vow of the Nazarites and as Elymas the sorcerer for withstanding of Paul was by Acts 13. 11. Paul as the instrument of God smitten also with the like blindnesse If then the light that was in them that is in their kingdome should be darknesse how great would that darknesse be Moreouer why did not the Lord respect the sacrifice of Cain was it not because it was Gen. 4. 5. brought and offered onely with the bodie not with the soule Therefore also the Lord calleth vpon vs to wash Ier. 4. 14. Math. 5. 8. Iam. 4. 8. our hearts and our Sauiour saith Blessed are the pure in heart c. and Iames biddeth vs not onely to cleanse our hands that is our bodies synecdochically but also to purge our hearts The soule of a man is the more principall part and therefore called the glorie of a man so that whatsoeuer Psal 16. 9 and 30. 12. and 57. 8 the bodie doth without it is nothing Now by the soule I meane the whole spirituall part of a man euen all that is within him as the Prophet saith My soule blesse the Lord and all that is within me blesse his Psal 103. 1. holy Name To speake more particularly and plainly as by the body is to be vnderstood all the parts and members of the bodie The sacrifice of our wit reason c. so by the soule is to be meant all the powers and faculties thereof with reason vnderstanding thoughts memorie the will and the affections as loue hatred anger envie feare hope griefe ioy delight c. all these and euery one of these must be sacrificed to God and so dedicated that they must not at any time be vsed or employed against God or his children but alwayes for God and his glorie and truth and for the good of his people Our wit must not be employed in opposition to the truth but in the defence of it so must all our reason vnderstanding and learning None haue bin greater aduersaries to God and his truth nor greater hereticks neither more dangerous for the saluation of men yea also for their outward state then such as haue bin most wittie most learned and of greatest reach Satan making choice of the Gen. 3. 1. wittiest creature of all other to assault our first mother did thereby preuaile and ouerthrew both her and our first father and all their posteritie The same is to be said of not employing our wits to any other vanitie as to making of Playes or iests and sports for men to laugh in carnall maner especially then when common calamities present or future dangers do call vs to mourning and weeping to sackcloth and ashes Such as do straine all that is in them to make other merrie onely and to shew themselues fooles disgracing and defaming the image of God wherein they were made do slander God as though he had done that that he hath not and as though he had made them that they are not Is it a small matter to belye a King Is it nothing to deface the image of a Prince though but in iest This then is the first degree of sacrificing our wit reason vnderstanding and learning to God euen to restraine them from all such euill The second is to employ them to the aduancement of Gods glorie the furthering and promoting of his truth the edifying of men in their faith or the benefit of them touching this
according to thy iudgements So also when the Lord by the Prophet saith I dwell with him that is of a contrite spirit to reuiue the spirit of the Isay 57. 15. humble In all these places the words to quicken and reuiue being both one do signifie to make aliue Now neither doth the one or the other Prophet speake of the first life of grace from the sinnes wherein men are dead before regeneration but of the quickning grace whereby men are made more and more nimble cheerfull and liuely in the works of grace For the Psalmist was before partaker of the first worke of grace and the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the humble must needs be vnderstood to speake of such as had before receiued the life of God whereof humilitie is a speciall and a great measure As there are the reliks of all other sinnes in the best of Gods children so are there of that sluggishnesse against which Salomon in Pro. 6. 6. 1. â— 4. 15. 19. 18. 9. 24 30. c. the Prouerbs giueth so many precepts and in respect whereof the most liuely that are in goodnesse haue need to be rouzed vp and to be prouoked to be more liuely and also daily to pray in that behalfe In these dayes especially is this most necessarie wherein the greatest part of men are altogether dead in their trespasses and sinnes and Eph. 1. 4. 18 vtterly void and alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse yet of their hearts and the best in a maner not only of the common people but also of the Ministers of the word and of all other sorts and states of men like to the Angell of the Reu. 3. 1. Church of Sardi haue a name to be aliue and yet are dead not starke dead as the former but sicke and very sicke vnto death needing admonition to awake and to strengthen the things that remaine and are otherwise ready to die As therefore this attribute is here set before the next of being holy so it must go before it No man can be an holy sacrifice except he be first a liuing sacrifice Thus much of alacritie or cheerfulnesse intimated by the word liuing Touching constancie that also is commended by the Mat. 16. 16. chapt 26. 63. Ioh. 6. 67. 2. Cor. 6. 16. same word For as when God is called the liuing God by the Apostles and by the high Priest the meaning is that he liueth for euer and is immutable and vnchangeable and as the Spirit of God which Christ promiseth to all that shall come vnto him and beleeue in him is called by the name of riuers of liuing water that is such as should Ioh. 7. 38. neuer be dried vp as also before that to the woman of Samaria Ioh. 4. 10. by the name of liuing water and is more plainly interpreted to be such that whosoeuer should drinke thereof ver 14. should neuer thirst againe but that that water so giuen by our Sauiour shouldbe a well of water in her springing vp to eternall life So here a liuing sacrifice signifieth such a sacrifice as once hauing life should neuer die Christ indeed our life once died but now he liueth for euermore As therfore Reu. 1. 18. Christ now liueth and neither shall nor can die againe so whosoeuer hath truly giuen himselfe a sacrifice to God so being a member of Christ he must be and cannot but be a liuing sacrifice for euer If any that seeme to be liuing do die he neuer indeed was aliue but seemed onely so to be He that is once truly a liuing sacrifice so will be to the end He can no more lose this his spirituall life then God himselfe or Christ Iesus can die because that his life is the life of God and of Christ Iesus O vnspeakable comfort This life of our sacrifice must not be concealed for feare of any danger whatsoeuer yea it cannot be concealed where it is it will shew it selfe by the effects and workes thereof As our naturall life wil shew it selfe wheresoeuer it is so will this our spirituall life I beleeued therefore I spake It can no more be hidden then fire As fire will Psal 116. 10. 2. Cor. 4. 13. breake forth wheresoeuer it is so will this life yea fire may be quenched but this life cannot be extinguished Though Ieremiah in respect of many discouragements such as the faithfull Ministers of the Gospel in these dayes euery where especially in their owne country meet with Mark 6. 4. Ioh. 4. 44. not onely at the hands of enemies but also at the hands of such as beare a faire face vnto the Gospell though Ieremiah I say by such discouragements had determined to haue suspended himselfe from his ministerie and not to Ier. 20. 9. haue spoken any more in the name of the Lord yet the word of the Lord was in his heart as burning fire shut vp in his bones and he was wearie of forbearing and could no longer stay They that haue this life of God in them haue also the same word whereby that life was wrought as afterward we shall heare and therefore this life cannot be hidden but it will breake forth and shew it selfe That of the Apostle our life is hid with Christ in God is Colo. 3. 3. How our life is said to be hid with Christ in God to be vnderstood in a double respect first of the life to come and of the perfection of this life in the world to come secondly in respect of the world and of all dead in their trespasses and sins that haue no eyes to see this life or any worke thereof in them that haue it Sometimes also they that are thus liuing do not themselues feele this life in themselues but feare they haue it not as being for a time in a spirituall swoune and oppressed either with their sinnes or with many afflictions yea sometimes their eyes are so dazeled with the great prosperitie of the wicked that they thinke their state better then their owne as thinking all to be in vaine that they haue done in cleansing Psal 73. Chap. 33. their heart and washing their hands in innocencie But hereof enough is written in the Dignitie of Gods children By these things hitherto spoken it is manifest that whosoeuer sheweth not this life hath it not at all in him Let no man therefore deceiue himselfe touching this life but seriously examine himselfe by the effects of this life whether he haue it or no. But this shall be more euident by the adiunct holy in the next place because without that holinesse there is no spirituall liâ—e To adde one word more concerning the former constancie and perpetuitie of this life all that trust in the Lord Psal â—25 1. are like vnto mount Ston that standeth fast for euer and shall neuer be moued And our faith whereby we liue is therefore 1.
Pet. 1. 7. said to be more precious then gold because gold though tried in the fire perisheth Doth not the Apostle thereby manifestly shew that our faith cannot perish else were the argument of the Apostle from the comparison thereof with gold of no force All hitherto spoken of this attribute liuing here giuen to this our sacrifice is to be applied to all before said of our actiue and passiue sacrificing of our selues we must do all we must suffer all with all alacritie and cheerfulnes as also with all constancie and stedfastnesse That which is said of a liberall person that the Lord loueth a cheerfull giuer 2. Cor. 9. 7. is to be vnderstood of the actiue and passiue sacrificing of our selues If we must be cheerfull in giuing vnto men must we not much more be cheerfull in sacrificing our selues to God that in many respects hath right vnto our selues and to all that we haue All the actiue sacrificing of our bodies and of euery member of them as also of our soules and of euery power and facultie of them must be cheerfull So must likewise be all our passiue sacrificing of our selues The more honorable also it is to suffer for Christs sake the more willing and cheerfull should we be to part from all yea to lay downe our liues for his sake And indeed whosoeuer hath truly beleeued that Christ hath so willingly and cheerfully suffered those direful torments for vs that he did he cannot but be willing and cheerfull also to suffer any thing for him Oh that this life were in euery one that pretendeth to sacrifice himselfe to God In things that concerne our selues for this life how liuely how nimble are we but alas in sacrificing our selues to God in doing or suffering any thing for God how drowsie how dead how leaden heeled and handed are we The same may be said of constancie in sacrificing our selues both actiuely and passiuely It is not enough to suffer a little or at once but if we should be called often to suffer for his truth it should not be grieuous vnto vs. Though we should be first reuiled touching our good names then spoiled of all our good then laid vp in prison and there kept with great hardnesse for many yeares then brought out to execution and to haue our flesh torne from our backs by peece-meale as some haue had or be burnt by little and little as William Gardiner Merchant was beyond the seas yet none of all these ought to make any of vs to shrinke One thing more let me yet adde touching this adiunct liuing namely that the more our naturall life decayeth and consumeth in the powers thereof manifested by the trembling of the keepers of our house and by the strong men Eccles. 1â— 3. bowing themselues and the ceasing of the grinders and by the darknesse of our windowes all which I feele in my self the more we labour to cherish and to increase this our spirituall and heauenly life in vs that so we may bring forth Psal 92. 14. Reu. 2. 19. fruit in our old age and be faâ— and flourishing and like to the Angell of the Church of Thiatyra hauing our last workes more then our first This shall suffice to haue spoken of this first adiunct of our sacrifice namely liuing The second adiunct is holy This is necessarie to be ioyned The second adiunct of our sacrifice holy to the former first to teach vs to distinguish the former from naturall liuing and secondly to teach vs our sacrifice to be liuing in holinesse yea without this holinesse men haue no life of God no spirituall life in them but are altogether dead as before I said not able to stir hand or foote towards heauen as spiritually dead as Lazarus Ioh. 11. 39. was naturally dead in the graue and had bin dead foure dayes till Christ crying aloud vnto him said Lazarus come forth and by that meanes raised him from death vnto life and so by raising other from death to life and by dayly raising vp other from the death of sinne to this life Rom. 1. 4. of holinesse mightily declaring himselfe to be the Son of God for so with reuerend regard notwithstanding of the different iudgement of my betters I vnderstand that place to Mat. 17. 9. 27 64. 28. 7. Mark 6. 9. Ioh. 2. 22. Ephes 1. 20. Ioh. 20. 9. Acts. 3. 15. chapt 4. 10. chapt 10. 41. cha 13. â—0 34 1. Pet. 1. 3. Rom. 4. 24. cap. 6. 4. cap. 7. 4. cap. 8. 11. cap. 10. 7. 9. 1. Cor. 15. 20. Col. 2. 17. 1. Thes 1. 10. Heb. 13 20. 2. Tim. 2. 8. 2. Cor. 7. 1. the Romanes For it seemeth to me that it cannot well be vnderstood of the resurrection of himselfe from the dead because in the Greeke there is no preposition signifying from as is in those places that speake of Christs owne resurrection from the dead of which I haue noted some before in the margin and many more might haue noted Neither do I thinke it very easie for any man to name any place wherein Christs owne resurrection is mentioned without some prepositioÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or to name any where that the genitiue case of the dead there vsed by the Apostle doth signifie from the dead But to returne from whence I haue a little digressed for the interpretation of that place to the Romanes that we may be thusholy as here the Apostle speaketh we must first of all purge our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and of the spirit and then decke our selues with the contrary vertues of sanctification For filthinesse and holinesse cannot any more agree in one subiect then light and darknes and both those branches of our holinesse are elsewhere signified by putting off the old man and putting on the Ephes 4. 22. Col. 3 9. 10. Tit. 2. 12. 1. Pet. 2. 11. 12. Rom. 6. 11. verse 18. Psal 34. 14. 1 Pet 3. 12. Exod. 12. 5. Leuit. 1. 10. 22. 19. 20. 21. new by denying vngodlinesse and worldly lusts and liuing soberly and godly c. by abstaining from all fleshly lusts which fight against our soules and hauing our conuersation honest c. by dying vnto sinne and liuing vnto God and to righteousnes by being made free from sin and seruants vnto righteousnes by eschuing euill and doing good and by other the like Now as the Passe-ouer was to be without blemish especially as the legall sacrifices ought so to haue bin yea also without any other deformitie or maime so the Apostle here requireth this our sacrifice to be holy and without any spirituall blemish or deformitie If the sacrifices of sheepe and lambes in those dayes must be without blemish must not the sacrifice of our selues much more be such Yea this is also necessarie in respect that our selues must not only be the sacrifices but also the Priests to offer this sacrifice For as the
life and senslesse Thus much for the words Now to the matter and that as breifly as I may First of all therefore the Apostle making a kind of opposition of this negatiue precept to the former affirmatiue exhortation teacheth vs that both cannot stand together and meete in one subiect and be performed by one and the same person As the Prophet praying God to incline Psal 119. 36. his heart vnto his testimonies and not vnto couetousnesse thereby teacheth that no mans heart can be inclined to Gods testimonies and vnto couetousnesse so the Apostle here exhorteth these Christian Romanes and in them aâ—l other to present themselues a sacrifice liuing holy aâ—â—d well pleasing to God according to his word in that behalfe and not to be fashioned or conformed vnto this world doth thereby plainly teach that no man can be such a sacrifice to God and yet be fashioned and conformed to this world whosoeuer is fashioned and conformed vnto this world plainly bewrayeth himselfe neuer as yet so to haue sacrificed himselfe vnto God as here the Apostle hath required What consormitie to the world is But what is it to be conformed to the world To be conformed to the world is to be conformed to the wicked in the world But who are such wicked as to whom the children of God and they that haue deuoted and consecrated themselues to God must not conforme themselues I answer that these wicked ones are the time-seruers of the world that is such as before I said do look to no other rule of their liues but onely to the times and therefore do conforme and alwayes frame themselues to be such as the times by reason of them that rule in the times That we may the better know who be such as to whom the children of God are not to conforme themselues let vs vnderstand them to be of two sorts Some without the visible Church Some within the Church They without the visible Church are also of two sorts for Some are absolutely without the said Church Some hauing the name of the Church yet are indeed without the true Church of Christ as hauing a name onely to be that that they are not They that are absolutely without the visible Church are all the heathen Turks and other infidels yea the Iewes also that yet beleeue not Christ to be come in the flesh They that haue the name of the Church and yet are not of the true Church are all Popish Churches and all those that liue in them wholy subiect vnto them The same is to be said of all other heretiks Arians Manicheans Macedonians Anabaptists and other the like hauing assemblies by themselues By them that liue within the Church I meane those that are within any of the reformed Churches in England Scotland Ireland France Germanie Denmarke the Palatinate the Low countries or elsewhere Such are all Papists both Recusants and also Church-Papists that worship the Lord and yet serue their grauen images and worship 2. Kin. 17. 41. the idols of other Papists their breaden god their crucifixes their Saints c. All which do as it were sweare by the Lord and by Malcham that is by their abominable Zeph. 1. 5. Masse by their Saint Mà rie Saint Iohn c. Such also are all Anabaptists and other the like that though they hold an outward communion with our Churches yet secretly do hold their heresies and other dangerous errors and will not be reclaimed from them Such also are all other wicked and prophane persons in their liues shewing themselues to be such and professe T it 1. 16. that they know God and yet by their works denie him being abominable and disobedient and vnto euery good worke reprobate and yet still liuing in the bosome of the Church being within the Church but not of the Church as Iohn speaketh of them that had forsaken the communion of Saints They went out from vs but they were not of vs. As 1. Ioh. 2. 19. the Church it selfe is in the world but not of the world so there are many within the Church that are not of the Church Multae sunt foris ones multi sunt intus â—upi There are many sheepe without the Church viz. elect not called many wolues within Neither do I meane the wicked onely that now are but them also that in former times haue bin yea not only other but also our selues before our regeneration and when we were as such other haue bin yet are Walking Ephes 2. 2. ver 3. according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power in the aire and hauing had our conuersation in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh c. To To none of all these must we conforme our selues welking 1. Pet. 4. 3. as they haue done or do or as our selues did before our calling For it is sufficient that in the time past of our life we haue wrought the will of the Gentiles c. As this is forbidden here so also is it elsewhere To the Ephesians thus the Apostle writeth with great authoritie This I say therefore Ephes 4. 17. and testifie in the Lord that ye henceforth walke not as other Gentiles walke in the vanitie of their mind c. The like he doth in the next Chapter though somewhat more obscurely for hauing mentioned diuers particular sins and amplified the same by the fearfull state of all such as commit them shewing that they haue no inheritance in the kingdome Ephes 5. 3. c. of Christ and of God and therefore admonished them to beware that no man by any flattering words did deceiue them and draw them to the said sinnes because that for them the wrâ—th of God commeth vpon the children of disobedience he concludeth with this exhortation Be not therefore partaker with them What is it therefore to be partaker with them but to walke in the same wayes to conforme vnto them Peter also as euen now I shewed exhorteth all for whom Christ suffered no longer to liue the rest of their 1. Pet. 4. 2. 3. time in the flesh that is whiles they liued in this world as before time they had done and as the Gentiles not called yet did Iames also plainly condemneth this conformitie with the world commending pure religion to be the keeping Iam. 1. 2. 17. of our selues vnspotted from the world What is it to keepe our selues vnspotted from the world but not to be conformable to the world Yea though our fathers haue bin men of the world and coÌ„formed themselues vnto the world yet we are coÌ„manded not to be like our fathers yea to forget Zach 1. 4. Psal 78. 8. and 45. 10. Ier. 11. 10. our fathers house In which respect diuers haue alwaies bin reproued that did conforme theÌ„selues to their fathers Hitherto belong diuers particular precepts for not doing this or that as other haue don Our Sauiour dehorteth froÌ„ distrust
Serpent but belonged to the woman yea also to the man and to the posteritie of both They containe two parts a commination to the Serpent that the seed of the woman Christ should breake the head of the Serpent that is should vtterly subdue the diuell and all his power which notwithstanding was a promise to the woman and to her seed The second part of the said speech of God was a prophecie and a foretelling that the serpent and diuell that had abused the visible serpent in deceiuing of the woman should not for all that leaue his malice and haâ—â—d against the woman and her seed but should alwayes â—â— nibling yet but nibling at their heele not being able â—â— do any hurt to their principall parts And this the Lord added as an admonition to the woman and her seed to take the better heed of the Serpents said nibling Now although this will of God were in substance perfect at the first yet it being onely in promise and a matter of great importance required a long time for the making of all writings and the sealing of them with other matters belonging to the performance and full accomplishment of the said will The writings were begun to be made or rather drawne by Moses at the direction of God himselfe after Moses the Lord from time vsed other clarks as it were and secretaries to write more not in substance but for the better explaning of those that Moses had written and that as occasion required in respect of times and persons till the comming of Christ When Christ was come then first of all himselfe in his owne person more fully 2. Tim. 3. 16. 2. Pet. 1. 21. opened the former writings written by the inspiration of God and as the holy Ghost had moued holy men before to write After Christ the Apostles hauing plentifully receiued the holy Ghost wrote all things done and spoken by our Sauiour that were necessarie for vs to beleeue vnto saluation Much also of that that Moses had written being written to continue but for a time euen til the death of Christ was by the death of Christ cancelled as being performed and accomplished and all necessarie to saluation and to remain without any alteration was sealed with the blood of Christ as with the Lords broade seale of heauen Notwithstanding the Lord would haue all that was disanulled Why the Lord would haue the law being abrogated to remaine for all that vpon record in the time of the Gospell by Christ to remaine vpon record for all posteritie not to be obserued as it had bin but to the end that thereby it might be the more euident how all things before promised foretold or set forth by types figures and shadowes were accomplished that so also men liuing vnder the Gospell might the better see their great prerogatiues aboue them that liued vnder the Law and in the time of the old Testament The abrogating therefore of the old Testament so farre as it was old and to be abrogated doth not any way fauour those that fondly think the Scriptures of the old Testament no way to belong vnto vs now For how shall we see the truth of that that the Apostle Act. 26. 22. saith he had said no other things then those which Moses and the Prophets had said should come and that the Gospell was Rom 1. 2. that that God had promised by his Prophets in holy Scriptures As also how shall we well vnderstand diuers things in the Mâ—t. 1. 22. 2. 15. 18. 3. 3. 4. 14. 26 54. Ioh. 19. 36. 37. Gospell of which it is said they were done that the Scriptures might be fulfilled or as it was written if we haue not the Scripture of the old Testament to shew vs what had bin written How shall we also vnderstand the proofe of many things in the Acts and in the Epistles by the testimonie of former Scriptures if we haue not the said Scriptures Notwithstanding the old and new Testament do herein differ first that all things before promised are in the New performed Secondly that the New is more perspicuous then the Old yea also maketh the Old more plaine then it was And hereby it is euident that the new Testament is more perfect then the Old For are not performances better then promises All things indeed by the Lord promised are as certaine in respect of God as if they were performed but they are not so perfect vnto vs in respect of our weaknesse Dauid was assured of the kingdome of 1. Sam. 16. 13. Israel by the word and annointing of Samuel and by many experiences of Gods mercies towards him whereby he comforted Saul himselfe against Goliah before in a pitiful 1. Sam. 17. 11. â—2 24. 34. feare of him as wel as al the rest of Israel who for feare of Goliah did hide their heads yea that Dauid should be King was knowne to all the people as appeareth by the words of Ionathan and also of Abigail vnto Dauid Yet 1. Sam 20. 14. 15. and 25. 30. alas after all these and many great deliuerances of Dauid from Saul how in a kind of despaire said he in his heart I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul 1. Sam 27. 1. To proceed yet further this last will and testament of God is more perfect then the former not onely in the former respects of performing all things before promised and signified by types c. of remouing such types and figures as before did obscure his will and of the more clearing of the substance it selfe of his wil by our Sauiour and by his Apostles but also because now in these last dayes he hath spoken by his Sonne both immediatly in the person of his Sonne made man and also mediatly in Heb. 1. 2. 2. Cor. 13. 3. his Apostles that he will neuer speake any more by any man in such maner as that the word of any man shall be accounted the word of God as heretofore the word of Moses and the other Prophets and the Apostles hath bin accounted and is to be accounted the word of God and for the rule of any mans faith or life any otherwise then it agreeth with his word written by Moses the Prophets and Apostles Before the comming of Christ God raised vp diuers Prophets Prophet after Prophet the latter to expound and interprete as it were the former giuing lesson vpon lesson line vpon line line vpon line now a little and then a Isay 28. 13. little So likewise he directed the Apostles to write diuers Epistles to diuers Churches some also to particular persons all which and euery part whereof is to be accounted and receiued as giuen by inspiration of God and therfore 2. Tim. 3. 16. for the word of God but now he hath spoken so fully and wholy by them before mentioned that he will neuer speake any more in such maner so that whosoeuer he be that shall speake or