the Son of God himself could not refuse he disputed against him though fallaciously with Scripture Arguments Promissionem objâ—â—iâ— conditioâ—â—m aâ—â—â—â—it had he had a Psalter he would have shewn Christ the very place nor is there any sinner whom he cannot furnish with a Scripture to defend his lust and such a Scripture as the deluded novice hath neither skill nor will to answer The truth which Satan speaks ever tends to destroy truth In alledging of Scripture he both colours himself and his motion and frames himself according to the disposition of the Parties with whom he deals He knows the authority of Scripture alway swayes in the School of the Church It s our safest course to hold up against Scripture-light all the plausible Reasons or Scriptures which Satan brings for any opinion or practice to ponder with Prayer and study every allegation and to consider whether in their scope end they are not against other direct Scriptures and the Principles of Religion for Gods Spirit never alledgeth Scripture or propounds Arguments but to lead us into the knowledge and practice of some truth This was Moses his rule Deut. 13.1 to try a false Prophet by his scope If any Scripture or Reason be alledged to put us upon sin though the Text be Gods yet the gloss and allegation is the Divels 9. Observ 9. In dealing with our greatest Adversaries we must do nothing wilfully but with the guide of Reason Michael did not though he could have done it here shake off his opponent without answer or a rational disputation though he deserved none but to shew that he did not withstand Satans motion meerly of a wilful mind but upon just ground he answers him and disputes the case with him Christ himself did not put off this very Adversary of Michael Matth. 4. without an answer and when he refused the most unreasonable request of the sons of Zebedee he gave a just Reason Mark 10.40 It is not mine to give but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared It s good though our Adversaries are stubborn yet to manifest the ground of all those opinions and practices wherein we oppose them our courses should be so good as to deserve to be justified though our Adversary may so bad as not to deserve to be answered and we shall hereby though not recover him yet both acquit and quiet our selves and possibly preserve others from being infected with that sin which rather our Reason then Resolution is likely to prevent 10. Observ 10 Satan delights to put people upon giving that honour which is onely due to God to something else besides God He here contends for the Servant against the Master and for the worship of Moses against the worship of God Satan makes people give that honour to the creature which is due to God two wayes 1. Inwardly 2. Outwardly 1 Inwardly 1. By making people to put their trust and confidence upon something besides God to make flesh their arm to put confidence in man Joh. 31.24 Psal 20.7 Prov. 3.5 to trust in Horses and Chariots 2. By making people to set their love and delight upon other things more then God to love their pleasures more then God 2 Tim. 3.4 Phil. 3.19 Eph. 5 5. to make gain their godliness to be idolaters by covetousness to set their heart on that which was made to set their feet upon 3. By making them to bestow that fear upon the creature which is onely due to God to fear mans threats more then Gods and him who onely can kill the body Isa 8.13 Isa 7.2 Isa 51.12 13. Hos 5.11 more then him who câ—n throw both body and soul into hell to walk willingly after the though wicked Commandment 2. Outwardly Satan makes people give the honour to the creature which is due to God two wayes 1. By the worshiping that for God which is not thus the Heathen worship false gods Mars Jupiter Diana Dagon Baal Mâ—loch Mahomet and thus Papists give Divine worship to Reliques stocks stones a breaden God 2. By worshiping God by other means and after another manner than he hath appointed That cannot be Gods worship which is devised by another the manner prescribed by himself being refused the worshipping of God according to mans devises and traditions shall be as far from acceptation as ever it was from his institution He best knows what he loves best Nor is it a wonder that Satan thus opposeth Gods worship not onely in regard he is an Adversary to God and strives to break insunder those bands of allegiance whereby the creature is tyed to the Creator and to deprive God of his homage as also because an Adversary to man whom he endeavours to draw into Gods displeasure but by the making men to worship thecreature in stead of God he aimeth to advance his own honour and worship in the room of Gods If men come once to be children of disobedience and sons of Belial such as will not submit to Gods will and bear his yoke Eph. 2.2 John 14.31 2 Cor. 4.4 Joh. 8.41 Acts 13.10 they walk according to the Prince of the power of the ayre he is their Father Prince God both in regard of his own usurpation and their acceptation In all Divine worship whatsoever is not performed to God is performed to the Divel there being no mean between them in worship God and Satan divide the world of worshippers for although in the intention of the worshippers the Divel be not worshipped yet worshipped he is in respect of the invention of the worship which was Satans devise and appointment and hence it is that we meet in Scripture such frequent mention of the worshipping of Divels The Gentiles 1 Cor. 10 20. yea the Jewes Psal 106.37 Lev. 17.7 sacrificed to Divels And the truth is Satan his contention that the people might find the way to Moses's Sepulchre was but that they might lose the way to Gods service and find the way to his own as was more fully shewn in the Explication Oh how lamentable is it that so bad a Master should have so much service that he who sheds our blood should be more willingly and frequently served then he who shed his own bloud for us To conclude if holy Michael here contended that others might not worship any other than God let us more contend that we our selves may not do so If Satan throw us down yet let us not cast our selves down We have another a better Master his will let us study the voice of his Word and Spirit let us hear Be above all those baits where with Satan a lures to the adoring of any thing in stead of Christ Know nothing great or good but the service of Christ 11. Observ 11. Satans great design is to make the holyest persons the greatest occasions of sin He had much rather that a Moses who had so zealously opposed Idolatry should be Idolized then
themselves from the Church were scorners and that these who were sensuall and void of the spirit did follow their ungodly lusts Or in the words Jude expresseth 1. The sin of these seducers in Separating themselves 2. The cause thereof which was 1. Their being sensuall and 2. their not having the spirit For the first their separation EXPLICATION Two things are here to be opened 1. What the Apostle here intends by separating themselves 2. Wherein the sinfulnesse thereof consists 1. segregantes separantes Disterminantes Exterminantes For the first The words in the Originall are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 severall wayes rendred by severall interpreters may signifie the unbounding of a thing and the removing of a thing from those bounds and limits wherein it was set and placed for the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie to terminate or circumscribe a thing within limits and bounds and the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 added to it may import * Thus the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is frequently taken in Scripture the taking away or exempting a thing from those bounds and limits wherein it was contained and this interpretation of making themselves boundlesse as being a generation of Libertines that would be kept within no bounds or compasse of restraint by Scripture Magistrates Church-discipline c. doth both agree to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and also the whole series of the Epistle and context in which the Apostle immediately before saith they walked after their own lusts and immediately after saith they were sensuall given over to sensuall pleasures These seducers were sons of Belial without a yoke like yokelesse heifers Scope and Liberty were their study They would needs make the way to heaven as he who went over a narrow bridge with spectacles before his eyes desired to make the bridg seeme broader then it was This interpreation I dare not reject I desire to present it to the learned but though upon my maturest thoughts I much incline to it yet seeing the streame of interpreters going another way I shall not refuse the second according to which the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports the parting and separating of one thing from another by bounds and limits put between them and the putting of bounds and limits for distinction and separation between severall things it being thus a resemblance taken from fields or Countries which are distinguisht and parted from each other by certain boundaryes and Land-marks set up to that end and thus it s commonly taken by interpreters in this place wherein these seducers may be said to separate themselves divide or bound themselves from others either first doctrinally or secondly practically 1. Doctrinally by false and hereticall doctrines whereby they divided themselves from the truth and faithfull who were guided by the truth of the Scripture and walked according to the rule of the word hence these seducers were deceiving and deceved and it s said that they brought in damnable heresies and many followed their pernitious wayes and that they spake perverse things to draw away Disciples after them 2 Pet. 2. And thus they separated themselves from the Church 1. By holding that the grace of God gave men liberty to live as they pleased and by maintaining of unchristian libertinisme because Christ had purchased Christian liberty for us Whereas the word teacheth the contrary namely because the grace of God hath appeared therefore that we should deny ungodlinesse and worldly lust 2. By teaching that among the people of God there ought to be no Civil Magistrate no superiority nor any to restraine and hinder people from their going on in what wayes they pleased whereas the word commands every soule to be subject 3. By denying the day of judgment at which they scoft as at a vaine scar-crow because it was deferred whereas the faithfull were 1 Pet. 4.4 to account the long suffering of the Lord salvation to labour to be made meet for the approach of Christ and to look for the mercy of the Lord to eternall life 2. Practically they might separate themselves as by bounds and limits 1. By prophaneness and living in a different way from the Saints namely in all loosenesse and uncleannesse for as the faithfull separate and difference themselves from the wicked by their holy and heavenly Conversation so the wicked divide themselves from the faithfull by prophaneness and falling from the profession of godlinesse into all manner of loosenesse and irregularity and thus the ungodly make such bounds between themselves and saints as saints dare not break over ungodlinesse being too high a wall for a godly man to scale or rather too deep a mote for him to swim over and wade through 2. Calv. in loc discessionem faciunt ab ecclefiâ quia disciplinae jugum ferre nequeunt By Shismaticalness and making of Separation from and divisions in the Church Because they proudly despised the doctrines or persons of the Christians as contemptible and unworthy or because they would not endure the holy severity of the Churches discipline they saith Calvin departed from it They might make rents and divisions in the Church by schismaticall withdrawing themselves from fellowship and Communion with it Their heresies were perverse and damnable opinions their schism was a perverse Separation from Church-Communion the former was in doctrinalls the latter in practicals Schismaticos facit non diversa fides sed communionis disrupta societas Aug. Coâ—tr Faust l. 20. c. 3. The former was opposite to faith this latter to charity By faith all the members are united to the head by charity one to another and as the breaking of the former is heresie so their breaking of the latter was schism And this schisme stands in the dissolving the spirituall band of love and union among Christans and appears in the withdrawing from the performance of those duties which are both the signes of and helps to Christian unity as prayer hearing receiving of Sacraments c. for because the dissolving of Christian union chiefly appears in the undue separation from church communion therfore this rending is rightly call'd schisme It is usually said to be twofold 1. Negative Camero de schismate 2. Positive The first the Negative is when there is onely simplex secessio when there is onely a bare secession a peaceable and quiet withdrawing from Communion with a Church without making an heâ—d against that church from which the departure is 2. The other the positive is when persons so withdrawing doe so consociate and draw themselves into a distinct and opposite body setting up a church against a church or as divines expresse it from Augustine an altar against an altar and this it is which in a peculiar manner and by way of eminency is called by the name of schisme and becomes sinful either in respect 1. of the groundlesnesse or 2. the manner
wisdom and understanding in not knowing what they spake against the Apostle illustrates by shewing what that kind of knowledg was which was left in these Seducers namely such as was meerly brutish and sensual and such as whereby they corrupted themselves so that as they sinned in what they hated and opposed because they knew it not so likewise they sinned in what they embraced and loved because they knew it but after a natural beastly manner viz. for the fatisfying of their sensitive appetites and our Apostle doth with admirable Artifice subjoyn this second their natural brutish knowledg to the former their ignorance because thereby he amplifies most wisely both those sins mentioned in ver 8. viz. their defiling the flesh and despising of dominions though as Junius notes by a hysteron proteron he amplifies the latter their despising of dominion in the first place The words contain principally these two parts 1. The malicious ignorance of these seducers in speaking evil of what they knew not 2. Their sensual knowledge in corrupting themselves in those things which like bruit beasts they knew In the former they shewed themselves no Christians in the latter scarce men 1. Their malicious ignorance in these words These speak evil of those things which they know not Wherein I consider 1. Their act 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They speak evil or blaspheme 2. The object of which they speak evil and which they blaspheme Those things which they know not To the first of these I have before on verse 8 and verse 9 spoken Of the latter now EXPLICATION Three things here are to be opened 1. What the things are which these seducers are here said not to know 2. What kind of ignorance or not knowing of those things it was wherewith they are here charged 3. Wherein appears this sin of speaking evil of those things which they knew not For the first of these Some conceive as Oecumenius and others that the things of which these seducers were ignorant and spake evil were sundry Doctrines and points of faith and mysteries of Christian Religion The Doctrines of Christianity surpass'd their Reason nor could they be perceived by the power of nature These seducers were such as were ever learning 1 Tim. 3.7 1 Tim. 1.7 Mat. 15.14 Mat. 22.24 and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth and having swerved from the faith turned aside to vain jangling and desiring to be Teachers of the Law understood not what they said nor whereof they affirmed They were blind leaders of the blind not knowing the Scriptures In a word They consented not to wholsome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 6.3 4. and to the Doctrine which is according to godliness but were proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strife of words c. And particularly they were ignorant of that main fundamental Gospel truth viz that the grace of God teacheth us to deny ungodliness they holding that they were by that grace freed from all holiness of life and that all were thereby left at liberty to live as they pleas'd so that their lusts like the dust put out the eyes of their understanding 2. Others conceive more probably that though the Apostle here useth an indefinite expression in saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those things yet that he here intends principally that these seducers were ignorant of the nature institution and end of that dominion those dignities which they so much despised and reviled verse 8. that they knew not that Magistracy was appointed by God and that to continue even in the time of the Gospel notwithstanding the liberty which Christ hath purchased for us In short that they were ignorant of the great utility and beneficialness of Civil Government in and to the world that it defends justice opposeth vice preserves publique peace relieves the oppressed and is that Tree under the shadow whereof we quietly and safely sit and are sheltered 2. For the second What kind of ignorance it was with which the Apostle here chargeth the Seducers There are three sorts of ignorance 1. An happy and profitable ignorance viz. not to know those things the knowledge whereof proves hurtful thus it had been good for Adam not to have known evil experimentally It had been good for the Jewes if they had never known the corrupt and idolatrous fashions of the Heathens and in some respect 2 Pet. 2.21 it had been good for Apostates if they had never known the way of righteousness 2. There is a knowledge of meer and simple negation as Christ knew not the day of judgement and as illiterate Mechanicks know not sundry Arts and Sciences as Physick Astronomy and this is without sin 3. There is an ignorance of evil dosposition and this is twofold 1. Of frailty when we are ignorant and naturally indisposed to the knowledge of those things which we ought to know but yet we are holily sorrowful for it mourn under it and pray against it Thus even the godly are ignorant 2. Ignorance of evil disposition may be supine gross or affected when men like themselves well enough in their ignorance and their ignorance in in themselves and this is not only non profligata an ignorance not fought against and opposed but also affectata affected and loved by men who refuse instruction that so they may sin the more freely and prosecute evil the more without controlement This sort of ignorance is not barely nescire a nescience Non est consequens ut continuò erret quisquis aliquid nescit sed quisquis se existimat scire quod nescit Aug. c. 17. Enchir. Psal 82.5 Isa 44.18 and not knowing either of the things which we are injoyned bound to know but a nolle soire a conceited contracted contented ignorance which thinks it knows what it knows not and desires to unlearn what it knows the former is the cause of sin but of the latter sin is the cause that ignorance whereby men desire not the knowledge of the wayes of God know not as the Psalmist speaks nor will understand but walk on in darkness In brief this ignorance wherewith our Apostle chargeth these seducers is not onely that quâ nesciunt whereby they discern not but quâ respuunt whereby they despise things needful to be known approve not the things that are excellent delight in error quarrel with and resist the truth and as Peter speaks of this very sort of men are willingly ignorant Rom. 1.28 2 Pet. 3.5 the Heathen are said not to like to acknowledge God their blindness was natural and they did also voluntarily chuse their superstition before the knowledge of God 3. Briefly for the third Wherein appears the sinfulness of their speaking evil of those things which they knew not 1. It s a sin discovering the grossest folly Not to understand is a mans infirmity but to speak what and evilly of what he understands not is his folly If folly be
Truth and to give the glory of God reparations as it were by wiping off the blemishes cast upon it by foolish and ignorant men When we have upon grounded deliberation chosen our Love we should zealously express the love of our choice Sinners as they say of young mens thoughts of old think that Saints are foolish but Saints know that sinners are so Let not their prosecution of sin be more zealous then thy reprehension of it nor their opposition of any way of God be more hot then thy contention for it Let thy fire have more purity then theirs but let it not be inferior in its fervor The Christians Serpent must not devour his Dove How good a Master do the godly serve who requires no duty but such as he warrants in and rewards after the doing Satans servants are scepticks and he puts them upon such imployments in the doing whereof they cannot know they do well and afterward they shall know they have done ill and that to their cost 5. Corrupt affections blear and darken the judgement Observ 3. These Seducers hated the wayes of God and deilghted to oppose them and therefore they did not would not know them He who will be disobedient in heart shall soon have a dull head They who love sin will leave the Truth Lust opposeth the entrance of the Light Repentance makes men acknowledg the Truth 2 Tim. 2.25 Every one who doth evil hateth the light John 3.20 Men love not to study such Truths as will hinder them being known from going on in some gainful wickedness It s from unrighteousness that men imprison Truths They who thought the believing of the Resurrection would hinder their course in sin Prov. 28.5 taught that the Resurrection was past 2 Tim. 2.18 Lust perverts Light and makes men in stead of bringing their hearts and lives to the Scripture to bring to draw the Scripture by carnal and wittily wicked distinctions and evasions to both Knowledg is the mother of Obedience and Obedience the nurse of Knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the former breeds the latter and the latter feeds the former Of this largely before Part 1. pag. 616 617 c. Observ 6. Qui prius quam chord as exploraverit omnes simul inconcinnè percutit absonum et absurdum strepitum reddit sic judex qui singulas liâ—ga torum causas non pulsavis nec audivit stultam planè absurdam sententiam pronuntiet necesse est Petrarc 6. It s our duty to forbear speaking against any thing which we understand not He that answereth a matter saith Solomon before he heareth it it is folly and shame to him Prov. 18.13 As men are not to be commended so neither to be condemned before the knowledge of their cause As he causeth an harsh and unmusical sound who strikes and playes upon the strings of an Instrument before he hath tryed and tuned them so he must needs pass a foolish and absurd Sentence upon any cause who passeth that Sentence before he hath seriously heard and weighed the cause to which he speaks Herein Eli manifested his fault and folly 1 Sam. 1.14 rashly and weakly charging Hanna with Drunkenness Thus also David discovered his folly in giving credit to the information of flattering and false-hearted Ziba against good Mephibâ—sheth 2 Sam. 16.3 4. before he had heard what Mephibâ—sheth could alledg for himself Potiphar likewise shewed himself as unjust as his wife shewed her self unchast by an over-hasty heeding of his wives false and forged accusation against righteous Joseph Gen. 39.19 20 To these may be added the ignorant censure of those Scoffers who derided the Apostles filled with the Holy Ghost as if filled with new wine Inter triâ—icum lolium quamdâ—u herba est nondum â—uâ—mus venit ad spâ—cam grandis similitudo eft in disceruendo aut nulla aut perdifficilis distanâ—ia Praemonâ—t ergo Dominus ne uâ—i quid ambignum est cito sententiam proferamus sed Deo judici terminum reservemus Hieron Ut nobis exemplum proponat ne mâ—la hominum ante praesumamus credere quam probare Gr. Mor. l. 19. c. 23. Doubtful cases are to be exempted from our censure The wheat and courser grain saith Hierom are so like to one another when newly come up and before the stalk comes to the ear that there 's no judging between them and therefore the Lord by commanding that both should be let alone till the Harvest admonisheth as that we should not judge of doubtful things but refer them to the judgment of God Even God himselfe who clearly discernes the secrets of the heart and needs not examine any cause for his own information determines not by sentence till after examination that so he might teach us by his example the method of judging Gen. 18.21 Which is to know before we censure They who to make shew of what they have not a quick understanding and nimble apprehension will take off a speaker in the midst of his relation and make as if they knew all the rest of his speech which is to follow and others who though they will hear the whole speech out yet not clearly understanding it scorn to have it repeated again lest they might be thought slow of apprehension by their foolish and ill accommodated answers do often grosly bewray their ignorance and folly And this speaking of any thing ignorantly should principally be avoided by Magistrates and Ministers By Magistrates because their passing of a sudden and overhasty answer is accompanied with the hurt of others and withal by so much the more should they take heed of this folly because when they have once passed though a rash and unjust sentence Vid. Cartw. in Prov. 18.13 yet so great a regard must be had forsooth to their Honours by themselves already dishonoured that seldom or never will they be induced to retract or recal any unrighteous censure when once they have uttered it Which sinful distemper appeared not only in those Heathen Governours * In their censuring of John and Christ Herod and Pilate but in that holy man David in the case of Mephibosheth By Ministers likewise should this speaking ignorantly and doubtfully of anything be avoided whose work being to direct souls and that through greatest dangers to the obtaining of greatest happiness they cannot be blind Leaders and ignorant Teachers without the infinite hazard of their followers How unlike are they who will be Teachers before they themselves have been taught and Affirmers of what they understand not to him who spake only what he knew Joh. 3.11.32 and testified onely what he saw and heard Thus of the first part of this verse their malicious and unchristian ignorance They speak evil of what they know not The second followes their sensual knowledg What they know naturally as brute Beasts in those things they corrupt themselves In which words two things are mainly considerable 1. The sensuality of their
way and Word of Truth Errors as Tertullian speaks arise caede Scripturarum by the fall of Scripture The Erroneous resist the Truth 2 Tim. 3.8 The least Error disposeth the heart to reject the greatest Truth And as in nature darkness destroyes light blindness puts out sight sickness removes health so Errors undermine and destroy Truth None are such enemies to Scripture as the lovers of Error they ever oppose it either by denying it or perverting it 2 Errors are deviations from holinesse they oppose Grace as well as Truth They everthrow the saith of people and also eat up Godliness An Erroneous head and a godly heart will not meet 2 Tim. 3.5 Error makes men deny the power of Godliness and its an in-let to profaneness Every Text in Judes Epistle is a Comment on this Truth The Apostle calls false Teachers evil workers Phil. 3.2 They whose minds are defiled are reprobate to every good work Tit. 1.15 16. 2 Thes 2.3 Truth reforms as well as informs Antichrist is called the man of sin The corrupting of the judgment is the casting poyson into the spring 3. Error is catching and diffusive The Erroneous have many followers nor do they go to hell alone Every Error meets with a complying party in our natures Truth is hardly entertained Error readily admitted And seldome is any one erroneous but withal he endeavours to propagate his Opinion and that violently and subtilly 4. Error by departing from Truth and Holiness opposeth the peace of the Church From mens not consenting to wholsome words come envy strife 1 Tim. 6.3 4. Gal. 5.12 and reviling I would they were cut off saith Paul that trouble you Error turnes men into devouring Dogs Phil. 3.2 grievous wolves Acts 20.29 Witness Arians Donatists Papists Anabaptists To conclude Error is pernicious damnable a shipwrack a Gangreen creeping from joynt to joynt till it eateth out heart and life and destroyeth all Truth Grace Peace Salvation 2. For the second thing viz. Error for reward The word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Learned Divines observe against the Papists that though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometime signifies a reward due and deserved or hire due to a workman for his work yet it is at other times Mercedis nomen passim in sacris Scripturis accipitur pro constituto quidem prae min sed eo tamen gratuito Bâ—z in Mat. 6. Matth. 20.8.14.15 a word of a middle signification nothing a free and gratuitous as well as a due and deserved reward and plainly doth it signifie Rom 4.4 a reward of meer grace not an hire or wages and the force of the word doth imply only a reward due by the Covenant of him who giveth it unto him to whom 't is given whether the work which he doth deserveth it or no. The penny given to those who had wrought but only one hour and that in the cool of the day is as well called by this word of reward as the penny given to them who had born the heat and burden of the whole day In this place it denotes the wages or recompence which Balaam and these Seducers aimed at and expected for their Error for I read not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reward as relating to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Error as some Learned men do thus They ran greedily after the Error or deceit of the reward or wages of Balaam Deceptione merced is quâ de ceptus fuit Balaam effusi sunt Beza Erasmus Vatablus Pagnin Errore Balaam mercede effusi sunt Vulg. Montan. Melior sensus quod effusi sunt propter mercedem seu mercedis gratiâ ita ut in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supplcatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sic Occumenius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Errantes sicut ille lucri quaestus gratiâ dogmata prava annunciaverunt Lorin Praepositio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae est in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 posoit Genitivum Lapid in loc Nonnulli perperam reddunt deceptione mercedis quâ deceptus c. Multo elegantius aptiusque vocem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graecanica scholia ad subsequentia refert ut sensus sit Gnosticos Balaami errorem secutos esse mercedis cupiditate ut subandienda sit vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Justinian in loc but I rather refer the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reward as others better to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ran greedily thus They ran greedily for reward after Balaams Error that is as Balaam toyl'd journeyed took pains went from place to place from Altar to Altar c. to speak perversly to curse Israel and give wicked and pernicious counsel and all this for filthy lucre or base gain and to get reward from Balac so these Seducers care not what Heresies they utter what pernicious and damnable Doctrines they preach or Errors they broach so as they may but gain reward and wages from poor deluded people And our last English Translation intends this sense Thus likewise Oecumenius Moâ—tanus Justinian with sundry others And as this Interpretation of their running greedily for reward after Error is most apt and elegant and seems best say some to answer the Original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in regard of its composition so is it most agreeable to those other places of Scripture which mention the end which falfe Teachers propound to themselves in venting their Errors and which tell us that they serve their own belly Rom. 16.18 that their gain is godliness 1 Tim. 6.5 that they err from the faith while they covet after money 1 Tim. 6.10 that they teach things which they ought not for filthy lucres sake Tit. 1.11 that through covetousness they make Merchandise of people with feigned words 2 Pet. 2.3 that they have an heart exercised with covetous practices 2 Pet. 2.14 Cyprian writing of Novatus that mischievous Heretick saith that he was Avaritiae inexplebili rapacitate furibundus Beyond measure Avaritiaest plerumque Haeresium comes fomes mater nutrix c Ames in 2 Pet. and even to madness covetous The covetousness of Hereticks is the companion fewel mother nurse saith Amesius of their Heresies Now the sinfulness of following Error for reward appears in two things especially 1. In its profaneness What more profane and godless course imaginable then for an Instructer of souls to be a Vassal to dung Covetousness is iniquity in all men but blasphemy in a Teacher of souls His Titles Master Office Doctrine are all heavenly how insufferable is it then for him to be earthly How shall he take off mens affections from the world when as he followes that as most precious which he tells others is most superfluous The birds of the ayr which fly next heaven neither sow nor reap nor carry into the barne and how unsutable is it that they who by their vocation are next heaven should yet in their deportment be furthest from it That they should be like Foxes disswading
praemissi sunt uti secundum alium modum quae sunt illoruÌ„ audientes homines putantes omnes nos tales esse avertant aures suas à praeconio verita tis Iren. l. 1. cap. 24. p. 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 2. ult Epiph. lib. 1. tom 2. cap. 26. pag. mihi 86. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Refert Clemens Alexandrinus illis verbis Luc. 6.30 Omni petenti te tribue ad impurissimae libidinis defensionem abusos Ad epulas solemni die coeunt cum omnibus liberis sororibus matribus sexus omnis homines omnis atatis Illic post multas epulas ubi convivium caluit incestae libidinis fervor exarsit canis qui candclabro nexus est jactu offusae extra spatium lineae quâ vinctus est ad impetum saltum provocatur sic everso atque extincto conscio lumine impudentibus tenebris nexus infandae cupiditatis involvunt Minut. Fel. in Octavio Hence it was that Irenaeus writes concerning the Carpoeratians that they were men sent by Satan to defame the Name of God and the Church that men observing their wickedness and thinking that we all were such might turn away their ears from the preaching of the truth To the same purpose likewise speaks Epiphanius These men saith he were sent forth by Satan to be a disgrace to the Church they putting upon themselves the name of Christians that for their sakes the Nations might abhor to get any good by the Church of God reject truth preached and think that all who are in the Church are like to them and for the wickedness of a few reproach all the rest and therefore where-ever any of them come the Gentiles will have nothing to do with us 3. They were spots of deformity to themselves they disgraced not onely their professions but their very persons and blemisht even humane nature it self they turned themselves into beasts and caus'd in themselves an interregnum of reason making reason the Prince to be a Lacquey and sense the servant to ride and be exalted if ever any deserved to be called brute beasts dogs turned to their vomit or sows wallowing in mire they were these impure Borborites 2. They were spots of defilement 1. Carnally they defiled themselves their own bodies their flesh these defile the flesh vers 8. by drunkenness and especially by uncleanness I tremble to English what Epiphanius reports of these impurities among the Gnosticks and Clemens Alexandrinus and Minutius Felix among the Carpocratians at their meetings That sins of unchastity are peculiarly defiling hath been shewn before Part. 1. pag. 614 615. 2. They defil'd one another spiritually they were pitch and it was hard to touch them and not to be defiled they were leaven plague-sores gangrenes lepers diffusive of sin infectious to others the Divel conveyed his puddles through these pipes The contagion of these infected the sound but the soundness of the healthful recovered not the infected That Christian had need be of a very hail constitution indeed who conversing with such Pestilential persons contracts not their sickness Every sin as we say of some diseases is catching Any root of bitteruess springing up may defile many Hebr. 12.15 Thus we see the first thing opened viz The Name which the Apostle affixeth to them he calls them Spots 2. For the second Erasmum qui charitates vertit Gagneus reprehendit quiâ nunquam vel rarò pro dilectine sumitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in plurati Lorin Si dicuntur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impiis istis vindicaretur quod totius ecclesiae erat neque enim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 istorum hominum erant propriae ac proinde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 addi non potuit cum communesessent Ecclesiae toâ—ius Gerh. in 2. p. The places where these spots did cleave and stick or the meetings and companies which these Seducers frequented are exprest in these words Your feasts of charity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the singular number signifieth love or charity yet the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being in the plurall is seldome or never taken in that sense but for Feasts or Banquets of love whence it is that Erasmus is by some reprehended for turning these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in charitatibus in your charities and as deservedly do Beza and Gerard correct the Vulgar Translation which reads this place in epulis suis in their feasts viz. of love as if the Apostle intended that these Seducers were spots in their own feasts whereas these love-feasts were the brotherly meetings of the Church into which these sensual Epicures intruded and unto which like spots they cleaved And therefore our Apostle in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which some Copies adde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tels the Christians that these impure companions did feast with them by that occasion they manifesting their lewdnesse The Institution of these love-feasts was founded on the custome of the Church which immediately before the celebration of the Lords Supper used to have a feast Longè probabilius est morem fuisse ut prius haberetur convivium illud commune postea fierèt participatio sacrae Eucharistiae Estius in 1 Cor. 11.20 Videatur quoque Aug. Ep. 118. ad Januar. Tert. cap. 39. A polog Coena nostra de nomine rationem suam ostendit vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id quod dilectio penes Graecos est quantiscunque sumptibus constet lucrum est pictatis nomine facere sumptum siquidem inopes quosque refrigerio isto juvamus c. non prius discumbitur quam oratio ad Deum praegustetur editur quantum esurientes capiunt bibitur quantum pudicis est utile ita saturantur ut qui meminerint etiam per noctem adorandum Deum sibi esse ita fabulantur ut qui sciant Dominum audire Post aquam manualem lumina ut quisque de Scripturis sanctis vel de proprio ingenio potest provocatur in medium Deo canere hinc probatur quomodo biberit aeque oratio convivium dirimit inde disceditur non in catervas caesionum neque in classes discursationum nec in eruptiones lasciviarum sed ad eandem curam modestiae pudicitiae ut qui non tam coenam coenaverint quam disciplinam to testifie continue increase brotherly love among themselves as also to the poor who hereby were releived whence they had their name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 charities as if they were so intended for love that there could not be so fit a name by which to call them as Love it self Of these Feasts speaks the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.21 when he saith That every one taketh before other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his own supper as also 2 Pet. 2.13 where he speaks concerning the feasting of these Seducers with the Christians and frequeâ—t mention is made of these Feasts among the Ancients Of whom Tertullian speaks the most fully
mistaken who account Spiritual showres their greatest plague and complain of these dewes of Grace as if they were a deluge of woe to whom the word of the Lord is the greatest burthen who cry out the Land cannot bear it A Church without a Preacher is as a Ship sayling in a dark night on a rough Sea without a Pilot. Never was Christ more moved in compassion toward the people then when he saw them scattered as sheep without a Shepherd They who would be rid of the Word would also be without pardon peace holinesse happinesse it being the Word of Faith the Word which sanctifies the Gospel of Peace the Word of life the Power of God to salvation Ministers are Saviours Watch-mâ—n Labourers in the Harvest Nurses Guides Builders Sowers Seers Light Salt Clouds c. VVhat then aâ—e places destitute of saving instruction but unsafe spoiled starved waste blind wandering unsavoury barren and yet how commonly do many curse the preaching of the word as the people who live under the torrid Zone do the rising of the Sun To conclude what apparent enemies are they to the souls of people who hinder the preaching of the Gospel who will not suffer it to run and be glorifiâ—d who revile and abuse the faithful Dispensers thereof an act no doubt of greater unthankfulness then to wrong and abuse a man who in a time of Famine should open his Garners for the relief of a whole Country 2 The greatest commendation of a Minister Observ 2 is industry for and usefulness to the souls of others Clouds are not appointed for themselves but to water the earth and in doing so they consume themselves like Silk-worms Ministers wear and weave out their own boweis 'T is a sin for any much more for a Minister to be an unprofitable servant He must not go to Sea in his Mâ—nisterial Calling for Pleasure but Employment He must say with Pompey who being to sayl over the Seas with Corn to relieve distressed Rome and being told by the Pilot that it would prove a dangerous Voyage answered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is not necessary we should live but that we should sayl The Excellency of the Sun is not so much in respect of its glory and splendor as its influences and beneficialness and he who expects hereafter to shine like the Sun must here run like the Sun They who preach the Sun of Righteousness must be like the Sun who cometh forth of his chamber like a Bridegroom and rejoiceth to run his race The clods of the earth may be of a more dull and sad temper rest and lye still but the clouds of Heaven must be in a perpetual motion Ministers must like the Cherubims which give attendance in the presence of God have wings for expedition in the execution of his will They are called Labourers and workmen they labour in the Word and Doctrine Pauls glory was not that he was more advanced but that he laboured more abundantly then they all As much as in me is saith he I am ready to preach the Gospel He made Preaching his business therein he was glad to spend and to be spent 2 Cor. 12.15 Knowledg without industry speaks no man Excellent None is accounted good for the good he hath but the good he doth A wooden key that opens the door is a better one then a Golden one that cannot do it Greatest industry is alway to be used about the salvation of souls Impudent importunity is in no case so commendable as in this Paul was an excellent Orator and all his Oratory was to perswade men to be saved Never did Malefactor so plead to obtain his own life as did Paul beg of men to accept of life He was an importunate woer of souls and he would take no denyal Ministers must rather be worn with using then rusting The sweat of a Minister as it is reported of Alexanders casts a sweet smell his Talents are not for the Napkin but Occupation not to be laid up but to be laid out They who are full Clouds should be free in pouring out returning as they have received How unworthily do they deal with God who are all for taking in and nothing for laying out How liitle is the age and place wherein they live beholding to them How just is it with God that they who will not give him the interest of their abilities by improving and acting them should lose the principal by ceasing to have and retain them 1 Cor. 12.7 The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every one to profit withal Standing water soon putrifies Musical Instruments which are most used sound most melodiously Eccles 5.17 If Solomon observed it to be a great vanity that some men had Riches who had not power to use them how much greater is the vanity of having great intellectual abilities and yet to have no power to make use of them for the good of others In short therefore Ministers must remember that they are not appointed for sight but service and usefulness We account not a Pillar to be good because it is sightly but strong We should fear to sit under that Structure the Pillars whereof are though curiously gilded and painted outwardly yet crazy and rotten within It s better to be under a disgraced persecuted Paul then under a silken Diotrephes who is altogether for worldly glory and preheminence nothing for duty and performance 3 Ministers of the Gospel must be full and watery clouds Observ 3 Able and apt to teach gifted and enabled to their Ministry As Ambassadors they must be sure to have their instructions with them 2 Cor. 3.6 Ephes 4.2 and to be able Ministers of the New Testament for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry Able to impart Spiritual gifts Match 13.52 2 Tim. 2.15 bringing forth out of his treasure things new and old being Workmen that need not be shamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth 1. Able they must be to open the Scriptures They must have the water of Knowledg and be able to unlock the Cabinet of the Word fit to feed the people with understanding to role away the stone from the mouth of the well for the watering of the flocks of Christ He who calls for a reasonable Sacrifice will not be content with an unreasonable Sacrificer Ministers must teach every one in all wisdom Col. 1.28 2. They must have ability to convince gainsayers by sound Doctrine Tit. 1.9 A Ministers brest should be a Spiritual Armory furnished with Spiritual Weapons for overcoming of opposers Apollos mightily convinced the Jewes so Paul disputed against the adversaries of the Truth Act. 9.29 and 17.17 3 The Gift of working upon the affections and quickning to duty Ability not only to enlighten the understanding but to warm the heart I think it meet c. 2 Pet. 1.13 saith Peter to stir you up Paul knowing the terror of the Lord perswaded men The Ministers
consciences and the judgments of all others 9. The empty are also unstable Observ 9. These clouds without water are by the Apostle said to be carried about of the winds The Apostle 2 Pet. 3.16 joyns the unlearned and unstable together and Heb. 13.9 he mentions the establishment of the heart with grace A heart then empty of saving knowledg and true holiness is soon unsetled and needs must it be so being not firmly united to and set into Christ by faith unbelief and distrust make a man carried up and down like a Meteor He who is not built upon the Rock can never stand if a Reed be not tyed to some stronger thing it can never be kept from bending and shaking where grace the fruit is not there Christ the root is not and where there is no root there is no stability Further where there is a total emptiness of holiness there is an emptiness of peace and contentment there is no peace to the wicked And he who wants true contentment will ever be looking out for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where it is not to be had without joy life is no life and if it be not gotten one way another will be tryed Who will shew us any good is the language of natural men they have still hopes to be better and like men in a Fever they toss from one side of the bad to the other in hope to finde coolness and refreshment but a soul that exerciseth it self in the ways of holiness tells every temptation You would draw me away to my lose 2 Cor. 7.32 35 Cor non tutum nisi totum Scinditur in certum studia in contraria Yet again a heart void of grace is divided in the service of God and therefore an unsetled heart t is not united to fear Gods Name it serves not the Lord without distraction all of its love fear joy runs not one way but having inclinations not wholly bestowed upon God and several ways of the hearts out-going from God being allowed its never safe and certain when the scales are even in weight they tremble and waver sometime one is up sometime another they who will serve two Masters God and the creature and are double-minded and will divide their hearts between them will often be wavering and shew themselves sometimes for Religion sometime for the world grace fixeth and weighs down the heart for God and to God and chuseth him onely Here 's the true Reason then in the general why men are so tossed and carried away from the truth of the Gospel they are empty of the truth of grace they go from us because they were never of us they are a Land-flood a Cistern onely receiving from without and void of an inward living principle and fountain 10. Observ 10. Christians should beware of unstedfastness of being carried away with any winds from their holy stedfastness in the truth Continue in the things which you have learned 2 Tim. 3.14 Be not as children tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine To this end 1. Let the Word of Christ ballast your souls store them with the knowledg of saving Principles of Religion Empty Table-books are fit to have any thing written in them and a soul empty of the knowledg of wholsome truths is a fit receptacle for any error Do ye not err saith Christ because ye know not the Scriptures Mat. 22.29 Stones will easily be removed unless fixed upon a foundation He who buyes commodities without either weighing or measuring them may easily be deceived the Scripture is the measure and ballance of every opinion How easily may he be cheated with Errors in stead of truth who buyes onely in the dark Ignoran◠Christians are like Infants which gape and take in whatsoever the Nurse puts to their mouths 2. Labour to get your hearts fastned to the truth by love as well as your heads filled with the truth by light he who never loved truth may easily be brought to leave truth and to imbrace error He who embraced truth he knew not why will forsake it he knows not how the heart which hath continued deceitful under truth may soon be deceived by error a literal without an experimental knowledg of the truth may quickly be drawn to error from that wherein we find neither pleasure nor profit we may easily be enticed But when once we feel the truth both enlightning and delighting unloading its treasures of glory into our souls quieting our consciences quelling our lusts changing us into the Image of the Lord quickning our graces Seducers will not be able to cheat us of this Jewel because we know they can bring us nothing in exchange for which we should barter it away 3. Let there not be any one lust * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theoph in Rom. 16. allowed within thee to loosen thee from the truth They who are not sound in the fear of God may easily become unsound in the faith of God A remisse heart will close with remiss principles The mystery of Faith must be held in a good conscience 1 Tim. 1.9 which some saith the Apostle having cast away have made shipwrack of the faith he comparing conscience to a ship and faith to a treasure therein imbarked which must needs miscarry if the ship be cast away any corrupt affection entertained the soul like an unwalled and unfenced City lies open to the rage and rapine of and ruine by any enemy If Seducers sute their bait to the unmortified lust of a sinner Prov. 25.8 he is easily made their prey Of this at large before Particularly beware of Pride the proud Christian Page 615 616 617 part 1. like a light puft bladder will easily be puft any way of Error a Bird of a very small carkass and of many Feathers is easily carried away with the wind Pride is the mother of Heresie the proud man it is who consents not to wholsome Doctrine but dotes about questions 1 Tim. 6.3 4. Humility is the best fence against Error an humble man is so small in his own eyes that the shot of Seducers cannot hit him and lies so low that all their Bullets fly over him God teacheth the humble but the proud person is Satans Scholler 2. Fence thy soul against worldly mindedness a worldly heart will be bought and sold at every rate The truth can never be safe in the closet of that heart which Error can open with a golden picklock The covetous both make merchandise of others 2 Pet. 2.13 14. and will be made merchandise by others The hook of error is easily swallowed down by a worldly heart if it be baited with though filthy lucre Take heed of being a servant of truth Fraus malitia haereticorum vel dolend a est tanquam hominum vel cavenda est tanquam haereticorum vel irridenda tanquam imperitorum Aug. for gain for if so thou wilt soon be a slave unto error for more
and some emptinesse and vanity And indeed what are all the Doctrines and opinions opposed or not warranted by Scripture whereby any pretend to benefit themselves and others but gay and gilded nothings at the best what have they in them but a form of knowledge Rom. 2.20 a shew of wisdom 2 Col. 23. vain babling science falsely so called 1 Tim. 6.20 strifes of words 2 Tim. 2.4 vain deceit 2 Col. 8. froth and fome swelling words of vanity They bring no real relief and sollid comfort to the soul They are not bread but chaff not milk but wind to one who hath a holy hunger And their emptiness doth a humble and serious Christian commonly perceive as soon as their errors are first broched and vented and it will not be long ere the silly both seducer and seduced shall know it also either by being changed to a love of the truth Non vacat probabilitate per participium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insinuatam effraenem venerem cujus deam latine dictam venerem Graci Gentiles appellaverunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à spuma quae dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod è maris spuma orta videtur vel quod seminis natura sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spumosa vel quod sit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stultitiae dea Lor. in loc In medio quondam concreta profundo spuma sui gratumque manet mihi nomen ab illa Ovid 4. Met. Per confusione sive dedecora intelliguntur sordes ac immunditiae quas fluctus undae coagitatae â—ollisae spumantes in litus egerunt Lor in loc Gnostici sua ipsorum dedecora despumant in spumam post jactabundum inmorem ex vita suae instabili dissolubili turpidine desinentes Oâ—cum Moles existunt aquarum quantoque tanquam montes lapsu suo videntur absorbere universâ—m terram sed litus arenam ubi attigerint desiciunt nihil nisi spumam paleas limum fimum lutum sordes relinquunt Una cum ululatione despumatione maledicta calumnias convitia injurias blasphemias contra Deum sanâ—â—â—s magestratus Ecclesiam omnes ordines ejusâ—câ—â—e Lorin in loc 2 Tim. 3.8 9. or by being punished for the love of errour Now what a shame was it for these seducers after all their appearing bignesse with some rarely featur'd and beautifull truths to swell with nothing but a tympany of pride and vanity to seem to travell with a mountain and to bring forth a mouse to appear to be the onely illuminate accomplisht doctors accounting others but babes pretending to be richly laden and fraught with the treasures of understanding peace liberty abilitie of all which they seemed to have the monoply and when all comes to all to discover nothing but beggery vanity and disappointment of expectation meer froth and fome 2. These raging waves the seducers brought forth shame to themselves as the raging waves of the sea bring forth fome in respect of that impiety corruption filthiness and uncleanness which they discovered by their swelling rage what doth the sea after all its boiling turbulence cast up but mire and dirt an unclean scum a filthy froth The more thick muddy the waters are the more scum some do they by their ebullitions and agitations send forth how aptly did this agree to these impure Seducers Did not all their swelling proud unquiet contentions end in profaneness and Libertinism as well as emptiness and vanity did they not turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness Did not they who were lifted up unto Heaven in shews of spiritualness and piety afterward fall as low as Hell into all carnal and unclean practises by luxury gluttony and uncleanness When they spake great swelling words of vanity was it not to allure through the lusts of the flesh through much waentonness thâ—se that were clean escaped from them who live in error when they seemed to be looking up to the Heavens by high speculations and thereby would needs appropriate to themselves the name of Gnosticks or the knowing men like that unwary Star-gazer they tumbled into the ditch of all filthiness and prodigious uncleanness By their violent and turbulent venting of and contending for their opinions whereby they tossed and shipwrackt poor souls what did they bring forth but loosness and prophaneness the casting off reviling and slandring of Magistracy and all restraint sedition tumults rapine the liberty of being as bad as they would without controle the blaspheming of God and in short while they promised liberty to others they themselves were the servants of corruption And was not now the folly of these men of corrupt minds and reprobate concerning the faith made manifest to all men and was there any shame in the world comparable to this for men not only to appear altogether empty of what good they seemed to have and love but wholly filled with all that evill which they seemed not to have yea to loath for this the greatest folly to be made known to all men and for all their deluded followers to see that they who pretended to be healers of others should be the sâ—ckest of any and that they who were esteemed ghest in holiness should be found to be lowest in wickedness Nothing is there of which a man should be so much ashamed as of sinning and of no sinning so much as of sinning after an appeaing height of and contention for holiness 3. These Seducers brought forth shame to themselves as the raging waves of the Sea bring forth fome in respect of the destruction and everthrew both of themselves and their errors The waves of the Sea cast forth their fome by being broken and dasht in peeces they seem'd indeed when they were lifted up to heaven in their height and rage to threaten the breaking or devouring of the rocks or shore whensoever they should fall but when they fall they onely break themselves the rock or shore still continuing unbroken and unhurt and so they come to some And how evidently do seducers bring forth their shame even as the dasht waves their some by their own and their errours destructions Errours have ever broken by beating upon the rock of truth which hath in all ages stood firm against in stead of being broken by all the rage of erroneous seducers False doctrins Sicus fluctus licet tumentes litus saxa verâ—erames ab iis repulsi resiliunt abeuntque in spumas evanescunt siâ— impetus fastus ac furores harâ—ticorum verberantes Ecclesiam in sâ—ipsos dissiliunt evanescunt â—ap in loc like the waves of the sea may sometimes seem to cover the truth but never can they conquer it no more then the stubble can overcome the flame the cloud the Sun the wave the rock Truth hath ever got by losing and prevailed by being seemingly overcome Errour hath ever lost by gaining and been overcom by seeming to conquer By the advantages of time and Scripture discovery magnified errours come to
be abhorred and by heresies as they who are approved are made manifest so truth it self comes to be both approved and manifested And as for heresiarchs and seducers themselves they have been broken in pieces by divisions by disgrace and ignominy by dispair though armed ever to conquer naked truth by externall judgements upon their bodies or else by the everlasting overthrow of their souls they bringing upon themselves swift destruction and what greater shame can possibly be brought forth then that which comes by their own overthrow and destruction and that after nay by their own height and elevation OBSERVATIONS 1. Obs 1. There is no peace to the wicked when they are at the highest The highest waves are yet unquiet notwithstanding a sinners outward swelling and greatnesse he like a limb of the body pained though swelled hath a conscience inwardly vexations He is like a man who hath broken bones under a beautifull sute of apparell disjoynted fingers under a golden glove like a book of direfull Tragedies bound up with a gilded fair cover or as some body once said like Newgate having a comely outside structure but within nothing but howling chains dungeons and blacknesse Ther 's no peace to the proudest richest honourablest sinnner Till the inward distemper of the heart be removed and that trouble-heart sin expel'd outward advancement can no more help him than scratching can cure a man of the itch his bloud being corrupt an dinfected and no inward means used to cleanse it Besides True peace comes from the injoying communion with God and from the apprehension of the removall of true woes and wretchednesse what true peace can appearing comforts bring to that man Fallacia bona vera mala who remains under real wretchedness Outward highness is but seeming and fictitious spiritual miseries are truly and really such He who cannot see that he is delivered from wrath to come cannot be pacified with any enjoyments that are present He is all his life long subject to bondage Heb. 2. and but like a rich or noble prisoner who though he be plentifully fed respectively attended and civily used by his Keeper is yet in an hourly expectation of condemnation A child of God is more quiet upon the wrack than a sinner is upon a bed of down His motto may well be mediis traquillus in undis Though he be in troubles yet troubles are not in him So long as the winde gets not into the bowels of the earth there is no earthquake though the wind bluster never so boysterously about and without the earth If the terrours of Gods wrath and the guilt of sin be kept out of the conscience outward afflictions upon the body cannot cause any true trouble We call it a fair day if there be a clear sunshine and a fair sky over head though it be dirty under foot and if all be well upward if God shine upon us with the light of his Countenance our condition is comfortable though it be afflicted and uncomfortable in earthly respects A Saint hath musick in the house when there are storms without it and when it rains upon the tiles In a word the godly have quiet rest in their motion but the wicked have unquiet motion in their rest how litle are wicked men to be envied in their triumphs how much better is it to have peace with God in trials then to be his enemies in triumph Of this see pag. 116 part 1. And also before and after under the head of Peace very largely 2. Obs 2. The erroneous are oft as disquieting and troublesome where they live as the waves of the sea Like the raging waves of the sea I have before largely spoken of their raging in point of bloudinesse and cruelty Vers 11. but they which are not gone so far as open persecution are yet commonly men very turbulent and unquiet They trouble and disquiet peoples consciences tossing them with the windes of their doctrines not suffering them to hold any truth certainly but with hesitancy and doubting casting in many scruples into their minds with their doubtfull disputations wracking both the Scriptures and their hearers by distracting their thoughts and apprehensions with what may be said for and against the truth never studying to ground and stablish them in the knowledge thereof leaving their Disciples hereby like a cloud tossed with contrary winds and a ball bandy'd between two rackets Their onely work indeed is to unsettle and first to make people believe nothing and to unbelieve or at least to waver in their belief of what is true that so they may be brought to believe that which is false they who are drunken with errour will have the spirituall staggers they are as pendulous and uncertain as a meteor they have no Center for their unsettled apprehensions Schisms rend the coat heresie disquiets and cuts the heart Nor do seducers onely disquiet and trouble others by unsetling them from the truth but also by hurrying and driving people from one errour to another Sectaries rest not in one but oft travel through all opinions One errour is a bridg to another Errours are like Circles in a pond one begets another a lesser makes way for a greater a lower is but a step or stair to help to an higher like a whirl-pool which first sucks in one part and then the other and never desists until it draws in the whole body Heb. 13.9 Vide Danaei annotationes in Lib. Angustini de haerâ—s Seducers grow worse and worse and still increase to more ungodlinesse Heresie is a flood ever swelling and a gangrene ever spreading The Galathians were soon removed to another Gospel Nor are the erronious less troublesome to the outward temporal peace of persons witness the divisions and factions which they have made in families between nearest relations in Congregations Cities Civil States Hereticks are commonly seditious and tumultuary Novatus was as Cyprian calls him a fire-brand to kindle sedition an Enemy to peace turning the world upside down What raging outragious waves wear the Donatists Fax et ignis ad conflanda seditionis incâ—ndia hostis quietis tranquillitatis adversarius pacis ini micus Cypr. 49. ad Cornel. August epist 50. ad Bonif Ep. 68. ad Januar. Circumcelliones Augustine in his Epistles tells us frequently of their rapines robberies how near sundry States in these later times have been to subversion by the Anabaptists they who write their histories have related at large nor will this unquietness of the erroneous seem strange if we consider by whose blowing these waves are raised It is the breath of that Aeolus of hell which stirs them up he will toss and trouble though he cannot swallow up the ship of the Church All hereticks are Satans Emissaries He is the father of lyes and lyars and a lying spirit in the mouth of every false Prophet and needs must they rage and run whom he stirs up Nor is any thing so impatient of
ashamed of our former sin Oh that we could contemplate the shame of sin more in its departure and less its beauty in its coming and labour to look upon our old waies with new eyes opened and enlightned by the spirit of sanctification and then it wil be our greatest wonder that we should heretofore openly do that which we are now ashamed to think of To conclude this how blessed are they whose sins are covered whose transgressions are forgiven Psal 32.1 who have bought and put on that white raiment whereby the shame of their nakednesse cannot appear If ever the sins of the godly be manifested as I conceive they shall be at the day of judgment they shall be so far from bringing shame and confusion to them that they shall be glorious trophies of Gods mercy Christs merit the strength of faith and the truth of repentance 6. Obs 6. The shame of seducers is at length laid open and discover'd The great endeavour of these was to be magnified or rather omnified to have all others debased and nullified to have themselves accounted the only men for knowledg piety priviledges and their waies the only waies of peace and liberty but at length they lost and disgrac'd themselves foamed out and discovered their own shame 1. Sometime their shame is laid open and foamed forth by the discovery of the emptinesse and meer frothy foame of their opinions which are manifested to have had nothing of truth or solidity in them At length they fal upon the shore or dash upon the rock of the scripture and then in stead of drowing the shore or breaking the rock they end in a little froth and emptinesse and in the breaking of themselves alone Heresies are not permanent the word of the Lord only endures for ever it being a lasting fountain never to be dryed up but that which is against the Lord and his truth is but a land-flood though for the present it may swel and grow yet it shal fall and sink and in time vanish quite away Heresies which have for a time born all before them as that of Arianism which Augustine in grief and admiration tels us had invaded all the world come by the advantages of time and scripture discovery to be contemned and neglected Error like the painted beauty of some harlot seems amiable when it walkes in the dim twilight where the orthodox preaching of the word shines not but bring it to scripture light which it mainly shuns and the more we look upon it the more we shall suspect and at length abhor it the sun of scripture scatters the fogs and mists of error ye erre saith Christ not knowing the Scripture How glorious have those adulterate beauties of the whore of Babylon of image-worship transubstantiation merit c. appeared in this nation of old when the candle of Scripture was hid under a bushel but afterward it being set upon a candlestick and giving light to all the house how clearly did they all appear to be fictitious and adulterate and the hatred wherewith they are hated I trust of some is as it was said of Ammons to Thamar greater then that love wherewith they were loved 2. Sometime the shame of seducers is laid open and foamed forth by their loosnesse and profanenesse of life Errors in doctrine producing commonly loosnesse in conversation Thus the Apostle speaks of some who should proceed no further for their folly should be made manifest to all men who should increase to more ungodlinesse and grow worse and worse hereby our Lord bids us discover them by their fruits saith he ye shall know them The vine of truth never produced the thistles and thorns of prophanenesse and loosnesse A man of error is of◠left to be a man of sin Thus these seducers disgraced themselves by foaming out their uncleannesse cruelty rebellion Who wil ever look upon these deformed issues to have truth beautiful truth for their mother Wel may he be suspected who every step stumbles into prophanenesse to have either no eyes or bad ones Thus Papists Anabaptists Seekers have been discovered by their taking pleasure in unrighteousness never to have believed the truth 3. Lastly the Lord oft discovers their shame by their own destruction and disgraceful end and by the judgments which he brings upon them Arius his bowels gushed out Nestorius his tongue was consumed with worms Cerinthus was killed by the fall of an house Montanus hanged himself Manes had his skin torn from his flesh c. and rotted out of his head examples of this kind might fil a volume How many seducers hath God made pillars of salt by their deaths who were unsavory salt during their life-time how many of these stakes hath God set up in the Church as in a pond to keep men from adventuring into gulfs and whirlpools of error Sometime the hand of justice hath found them out witnesse the deaths of many Jesuits and Baals priests of Anabaptists and other blasphemous hereticks And how oft have they been infamous for their strange deaths who laboured to live caede scripturarum by the death and downfall of the scripture Oh then how much are they mistaken who expect to get honour by being patrons of erroneous opinions While the pure lights of the Church have burnt sweetly and shined bright to after ages living when they were dead the other have rotted in their names faded in their honour withered in their graces and in a word even died while they lived and what is there left of all these false pretended lights to posterity but the smoake of a stinking and unsavory snuffe 7. Obs 7 The enemies of God cause their own shame and confusion foaming out saith our Apostle their own shame Hab. 2.10 they are said to consult shame to their own house i.e. their wisest consultations shal be turned into shame against them or they shall be as surely ashamed as if they had consulted or taken counsel to bring shame upon themselves Though shame be not the end of the worker yet shal it be the end of every work of ungodlinesse wicked men twist their own halter and by sin curiously weave their own confusion shame is the natural production of every mans own sin Basil◠de Ira. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pag. mihi 440. The wicked shall be snared in the work of his own hands Psal 9.16 and held with the cords of his own sins Ps 5.22 Be thy own friend and none can be thy foe disgrace not thy self and then all the world cannot do it T is not any thing cast upon us from without which is truely a shame but something which growes out of a mans self t is not poverty reproach pains c. that dishonour us but impatience revenge unreformedness under all these Every wicked mans dishonour is self-created A sinner reaps no crop but that of which he himself was the sower its common equity that he who sowes should reap God wil render to
them a while then the souls of their people to all eternity Ministers must defend as well as feed their flock and keep away poyson as well as give them meat drive away the Wolfe as well as provide pasture Cursed be that patience which can see the Wolfe and yet say nothing If the heresies of seducers be damnable the silence of Ministers must needs be so too 2. Obs 2 It s our duty to acknowledge and commend the gifts and graces of God bestowed upon others with respect Jude honourably mentions these Apostles both for the dignity of their Function and also for the faithfulnesse of their discharge thereof by forewarning the Christians The prudent commending of the gifts and graces of another is the praysing of the giver and the incouragement of the receiver The good we see in any one is not to be dampt but cherisht nor should the eminency of our own make us despise anothers endowments Peter though he had oft heard Christ himselfe preach and long been conversant with Christ upon earth though at Pentecost the spirit was poured upon him yet he thought it no derogation from his worth to make an honourable mention of Paul to read his Epistles and to alledge the authority of his writings 2. Pet. 3.15 Peter doth not say why is not my word as credible as Pauls but without any selfe-respect he appeals to Paul honours Paul and fetcheth in Paul for the warrant of his writings Oh how unworthy is it either to deny or deminish the worth of others How unsutable is it to the spirit of Christianity when meer shame compels a man to speak something in commendation of another to come with a But in the conclusion of our commendation But in such or such a thing he is faulty and defective This kind of commendation is like an unskilful farriers shooing of an horse who never shoes but he pricks him 3. Obs 3. The consent between the pen-men of scripture is sweet and harmonious they were all breath'd upon by the same spirit and breath'd forth the same truth and holinesse Jude and the rest of the Apostles agree unanimously against these seducers Moses and all the Prophets accord with the Apostles in their testimony of Christ Luke 24. Peter and Paul agree harmoniously 2. Pet. 3.15 All holy writers teach one and the same faith They were severall men but not of sevrall minds The consideration whereof affords us a notable argument to prove the divine authority of Scripture all the pen-men whereof though of several conditions living in several ages places and countreys yet teach the same truth and confirm one anothers doctrine 2. It teacheth in the exposition of Scripture to endeavor the making of them all to agree Weemes When other writers oppose the Scripture we should kill the Egyptian and save the Israelite but when the holy writers seem for they never more than seem to jar one with another wee should study to make them agree because they are brethren But 3. and especially the consideration hereof should put all Christians upon agreeing in believing and imbracing the truth if the writers agreed Mauns dextra non taniopere indiget ministerio sinistrae quam necessaria est Ecclesiae doctoribus Concordia Gerhard 2 Pet. 3.15 the readers should do so too but cheifly the preachers of the word should take heed of difference among themselves in interpreting the Scripture Concord among teachers is as necessary as is the help of the left hand needful to the right When the children fall out in interpreting their fathers Testament the Lawyer only gains and when Ministers are at variance among themselves hereticks onely rejoyce and get advantage to extoll and promote errour In a word as the Apostle holily exhorts Phil. 3.16 we should walk by the same rule and mind the same thing and 1. Cor. 1.10 Speak the same thing labouring that there may be no division among us but that we be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment All Contention among Ministers should be who shall be foremost in giving of honour and gaining of souls 4. Obs 4. Scripture is the best preservative against seduction The Apostle directs the Christians to make use of the words of the Apostles to that end The Scripture is the best armory to afford weapons against seducers It s onely the Sword of the Spirit the word of God that slayes error Mat. 4. Jesus Christ made use of it when he conflicted with that arch-seducer the devill The reason why people are children tossed about with every wind of seduction is because they are Children in Scripture-knowledge They are children which commonly are stoln in the streets not grown men Ye erre saith Christ to the Sadducees not knowing the Scripture The Scripture is the light which shines in a darke place an antidote against all hereticall poyson A touchstone to try counterfeit opinions that Sun the lustre whereof if any doctrines cannot endure they are to be thrown down as spurious And this discovers the true reason of Satans rage against the word in all ages never did any theefe love the light nor any seducer delight in the word Luci fugae Hereticks fly the Scripture as the owle doth the Sun when that ariseth they flye to their holes when that sets they fly abroad and lift up their voice It s Satans constant design that there may not be a sword found in Israel Our care should be to arraigne every errour at the bar of Scripture and to try whether it can speake the scripture shibboleth whether it hath given them letters of commendation or no or a passe to travell up and down the Church or no If to Scripture they appeal to Scripture let them goe and let us with those noble Bereans with pure humble praying unprejudiced hearts search the Scriptures whether those things are so 5. Obs 5. They who are forewarn'd should be forearm'd It s a shame for them who have oft heard and known the doctrines of the Apostles to be surprized by seducers Jude expects that these Christians who knew what the Apostles had delivered should strenously oppose all seduction To stumble in the light is inexcusable To see a young beginner seduced is not so strange but for an old disciple a grey-headed gospeller to be mislead into error how shamefull is it and yet how many such childish old ones as these are doth England London afford who justly because they are ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth but remaine unprofitable hearers of truth are left by God to be easily followers of error The fourth particular which I considered in Judes producing of this testimony of the Apostles was wherein this testimony consisted or the testimony it selfe laid down in the 18. ver in these words That there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodlylusts In which words these seducers are described
and discipline and herein if they shall either be hindred or negligent private Christians shall not be intangled in the guilt of their sin if they be humbled and use all lawful means for remedy though they do communicate 6. Let them search whether there be any Scripture warrant to break off communion with the Church in the ordinances when there is no defect in the ordinances themselves only upon this ground because some are admitted to them who because of their personal miscarriages ought to be debarred The Jewes of old though they separated when the worship it self was corrupted 2 Chron. 11.14 16. yet not because wicked men were suffered to be in outward communion with them Jerem. 7.9 10. nor do the precepts or patterns of the Christian Churches for casting out of offenders give any liberty to separation in case of failing to cast them out and though the suffering of scandalous persons be blamed yet not the communicating with them 1 Cor. 5.11 Rev. 2.14.15.20.24 The command not to eat with a brother who is a fornicator or covetous c. concerns not religious but civil communion by a voluntary familiar intimate Conversation either in being invited or in inviting as is clear by these two Arguments 1. That eating which is here forbidden with a brother is allowed to be with an heathen but it s the civil eating which is onely allowed to be with a heathen therefore it s the civil eating which is forbidden to be with a brother 2. The eating here forbidden is for the punishment of the nocent not for a punishment to the innocent but if religious eating at the Sacrament were forbidden the greatest punishment would fall upon the innocent the godly Now though such civil eating was to be forborne yet it follows not at all much lesse much more that religious eating is forbidden 1. Because civil eating is arbitrary and unnecessary not so religious which is enjoyned and a commanded duty 2. There is danger of being infected by the wicked in civil familiar and arbitrary eatings not so injoyning with them in an holy and commanded service and ordinance 3. Civill eating is done out of love either to the party inviting or invited but religious is done out of love to Jesus Christ were it not for whom we would neither eat at Sacrament with wicked men nor at all To conclude this separation from Churches from which Christ doth not separate is schismatical now it s clear in the Scripture that Christ owneth churches where faith is sound for the substance and their worship Gospel-worship though there be many defects and sinfull mixtures among them And what I have said concerning the schismaticalnesse of separation because of the sinfull mixtures of those who are wicked in practise is as true concerning separation from them who are erroneous in judgement if the errours of those from whom the separation is made be not fundamental and hinder Communion with Christ the head And much more clear if clearer can be is the schismaticalnesse of those who separate from and renounce all Communion with those churches which are not of their own manner of Constitution and modeld according to the platform of their own particular church-order To refrain fellowship and communion with such Churches who professe Christ their Lord whose faith is sound whose worship is Gospel-worship whose lives are holy because they come not into that particular way of church-order which we have pitcht upon is a schismaticall rending of the church of Christ to pieces Of this the church of Rome are most guilty who do most plainly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and circumscribe and bound the church of Christ within the limits and boundaries of the Romane jurisdiction even so as that they cast off all churches in the world yea and cut them off from all hope of salvation who subject not themselves to their way Herein likewise those separatists among our selves are heniously faulty who censure and condemn all other churches though their faith worship and conversation be never so scriptural meerly because they are not gathered into church order according to their own patterns In scripture churches are commended and dignified according as their fundamental faith was sound and their lives holy not according to the regularity of their first manner of gathering And notwithstanding the exactest regularity of their first gathering when churches have once apostatiz'd from faith and manners Christ hath withdrawn communion from them and most severely censured them And this making of the first gathering of people into church-fellowship to be the rule to direct us with whom we may hold communion wil make us refuse some churches upon whom are seen the Scripture characters of true churches and joyn with others onely upon an humane testimony because men onely tell us they were orderly gathered It should be our care to shun separation Obs ult To this end 1. Labour to bee progressive in the work of mortification the lesse carnal we are the lesse contention and dividing will be among us Are ye not carnal saith the Apostle and he proves it from their divisions separation is usually but very absurdly accounted a sign of an high grown christian we wrangle because we are children Jam. 4.1 and are men in malice because children in holinesse wars among our selves proceed from the lusts that war in our members 2. Admire no mans person the excessive regarding of some makes us despise others in respect of them when one man seems a gyant another will seem a dwarfe in comparison of him This caused the Corinthian schism Take heed of man-worship as well as image-worship let not idolatry be changed but abolish't Of this largely before upon Having mens persons in admiration 3. Labour for experimental benefit by the ordinances Men separate to those churches which they account better because they never found those where they were before to them good Call not Ministers good as the young man in the Gospel did Christ complementally only for if so you wil soon cal them bad Find the setting up of Christ in your hearts by the Ministry and then you will not dare to account it Antichristian If with Jacob we could say of our Bethels God is here wee would set up pillars nay bee such for our constancy in abiding in them 4. Neither give nor receive scandals give them not to occasion others to separate nor receive them to occasion thine own separation watch exactly construe doubtfull matters charitably Look not upon blemishes with multiplying glasses or old mens spectacles Hide them though not imitate them sport not your selves with others nakednesse Turn separation from into lamentation for the scandalous 5. Be not much taken with novelties New lights have set this church on fire for the most part they are taken out of the dark-lanthorns of old Hereticks They are false and fools fires to lead men into the precipice of separation Love truth in an old dresse let not antiquity be a
themselves The first is contained in that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it imports three things 1. A fitting and a joyning the building to the foundation 2. A skilful disposing of the materials and parts of the building 3. A progressivenesse and proceeding therein even to perfection and all these are aptly applicable to that spiritual purpose of our apostle in this place for by this expression he intends to put them upon labouring for confirmation and stability in their Christian course by sitting fast to the word the foundation of faith and as a building which is firmely fixed and immoveably set upon its foundation stedfastly to abide in and rest upon the truth of the word that all the winds and waves and oppositions of seducers may not be able to unsettle and remove them And this it is which the Apostle Col. 2.7 intends by the very same expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 built up in which he exhorts the Christians to stability in Christ and his truth by being joyned to him as the building is to the foundation and hence it is that Christ Matth. 7.24 commended the wisedome of that man who built his house upon the rock and ver 26. blamed the folly of him who built his house upon the sand He that heareth my words saith he and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man that built his house upon the rock The firm and unfeined belief of the doctrine of faith is as the resting and depending upon the rock or foundation T is true faith sets us upon Christ as a foundation personall or mediatory upon whom alone we depend for life and salvation but faith sets us upon the word as the foundation scriptural or manifestative or that for the truth of which and of its discoveries we believe in and depend upon Christ And hence it is that as Christ is in scripture called a foundation Eph. 2.10 the chief corner-stone a stone for a foundation and besides whom no other foundation can be layd 2 Cor. 3.11 So is the word adorned with the same title Eph. 2.20 where by the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Mat. 16.18 we are to understand their doctrines and the way to build upon Christ is by building upon his word as our foundation for Christ is not a foundation of happinesse every way that man frames in his own heart but onely so as God offers him in the word of the Gospel and Christ makes it all one to build and beleeve on his word as on himselfe He that refuseth me and receiveth not my word Joh. 12.48 And if ye abide in me and my words abide in you Joh. 5.17 As we rest upon a man by trusting to his word so we build upon Christ by building on his word and the word being rooted in our hearts unites us to Christ 2. The Apostle by this phrase of building up puts the Christians upon a right ordering of the materialls and parts of the building for in the building the materialls are not onely to be laid but skilfully to be laid upon the foundation and this comprehends two things 1. The providing of good materialls 2. The placing of them fitly For the first In buildings sundry profitable and usefull materialls are provided as brasse Iron stone timber lime lead glasse c. and in this spirituall building there must be parcells of all graces faith hope love knowledge c. Faith must be those brazen gates to let in Christ into the soule and to shut out Satan watchfulnesse and courage must be as the stone-wall to oppose the approaches of our enemies Patience the dormers bearing the weight of the house and every burden that may be layd upon it Love the Cement to bind and knit all together Knowledge as the windowes to lighten the house Hope as the glasse or casements to look out and wait for things beleeved 2. These must be fiâ—ly placed and that 1. So as that all the parcels may be set upon the foundation Phil. 4.13 all must lean upon Jesus Christ as manifested in scripture grace of it selfe is but a Creature and defectible he can onely continue life and vigor to it without Christ the greatest and highest graces will but be pondera ad ruinam and could neither be set up nor kept up grace will prove but deceitfull unlesse it stands upon upon the strength of Christ the foundation 2. All the parts must be disposed and contrived for the best advantage of and so as they may be most usefull to the dweller Every grace must be for God as it is from him Who builds an house and doth not expect to be accommodated and benefited by it 3. There must be a due proportion between part and part and such a laying out of the one that there may not be too great an abridgment or hindering of the beauty and largenesse of the other Christians must have all the parts of holinesse and parcells of grace There must not be so much alotted for one roome that nothing be left for another a Christian must not be all for knowledge and nothing for Love all for zeal and nothing for humility all for humility nothing for courage A Christian must neither be maimed nor monstrous 4 All the parts must be built according to the line and rule of the word The tabernacle was according to the patterne in the mount Exod 25.40 A Christian must walke and build by rule entertaine every grace and performe every duty which is enjoyned and because 't is enjoyned he must not live according to example but rule 3. By this expression of building up the Apostle puts these Christians upon progressivenesse and perfection in the worke of Christianity he not onely enjoyns every Christian to be busie in building but by this word in Composition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he notes a building up till the work be finished an increasing in building even to a consummating thereof this also is intimated by the note of opposition * But. in the connexion to those who fall off whereby he would teach the Christians not to give over the worke till they be builded up a perfected building for Christ Hence it is that Peter though not in the same words yet to the same effect directs the Christians 2 Pet. 3.17 to grow in grace and 2 Pet. 1.5 to adde grace to grace Adde to your faith virtue and to your virtue knowledge c. and Eph. 4.15 to a growing up in Christ in all things 'T is true building is a slow and leasurely work a work of time but yet it must be a progressive and proceeding work 't is done by little and little but yet many littles will bring forth much and make a beautiful building at length What more dishonourable then for a man to begin Luc. 14.30 and not to be able to finish the disgrace hereof Christ mentions in the Gospell no change so unworthy and dishonourable as to begin in the
Christ He hath lost none his sheep never perish Joh. 10.29 2. The Church is an house in respect of Believers who are the stones of which this house is built up and these stones are naturally 1 rugged and unpolished til they be hewen smooth'd and made fit for the building Hos 6.7 the word of God takes away their natural asperity and makes them fit for the building and submissive to Gods disposal and fit for his purpose 2. These stones are of several sizes some greater some lesser Christians are of divers degrees some more eminent some more obscure some of stronger others of weaker graces 3. The stones which are different in their bignesse are yet cemented and united one to another As there is an union of faith betwixt the building and the foundation so there is an union of love between the parts of the building And hence Eph. 4.16 The whole body is said to be fitly joyned together and compacted The greatest stone in the building cannot say to the least it hath no need thereof The Foundation disdaines not the least pibble no more should the strongest stone in the building 3. The Church is an house He who dweleth every where by his essence dwels in his church by the presence of his grace in respect of God Who 1. Dwels in this house He hath two houses That above of glory this below of grace God takes more delight in his Church then in all the world He rests in this house 2. He furnisheth his house with all necessaries yea ornaments his ordinances graces c. 3. He protects his house he that destroyeth the temple of God him will God destroy His enemies shall answer for dilapidations for every breach they have made 4. He repaires his house and when his enemies have broken it he restores it and makes up its breaches it shal never utterly be destroyed 5. He purgeth and cleanseth his house disorders abuses are too ready to creep into it it oft wants reformation Amos. 3.2 Judgment begins at the house of God You have I known of all the families of the earth and therefore I will punish you Man regards not much what lies in his field but he is curious that nothing offensive be laid in his house Judgements begin at the sanctuary Sinnes in the Church are most heinous Christians are so much worse then others by how much they should be better The meditation of this resemblance should therefore put us upon tryal and strengthning of our union to Christ our foundation upon dependency on and trusting to him It serves also to strengthen the love neernesse and dearnesse of believers living stones to make us dedicate our selves to the Lord as his house and temple to offer up the daily sacrifice of prayer and prayse to him to tell Satan and lust whensoever they sue for a roome in our house that every roome is taken up for God that his enemy must not be be let in We are the temple of God on let us not make our selves a temple of idol by covetousnesse or a stewes by uncleanenesse or a tap-house by drunkennesse or a stye by any swinish lusts To conclude this labour for the costly furniture of holinesse for thy house use the perfume of prayer the washing of godly sorrow give the Lord costly intertainment Repaire all thy breaches by repentance Run not too long to ruine Patiently bear the Lords visitation and the meanes he useth to mend and cleanse thee And lastly depend upon him for care and protection in all dangers 2. The word of God is the foundation of a Christian Obs 2. Build your selves on your faith It s a foundation to bear a Saint out in all his duties comforts beleef of truths 1. All our duties services must be built upon a word That which will not stand with the word must be no part of the building the word must be the foundation of practice he that walks by this rule Gal. 6.16 peace shall be upon him 'T is not the shewing of any warrant of man that will bear thee harmelesse at the day of judgment 2. The word is the foundation of a Christians comfort no promises but scripture promises but may deceive No other promises can bear the weight of an afflicted soule Vnlesse thy law had been my delight I should have perished in my affliction Ps 119.92 Absque Scriptura claudicat cogitatio Thy statutes were my songs in the house of my pilgrimage Psal 119.54 3. But especially the word is the foundation of a Christians beleefe of truths asserted we can onely securely assent to the assertions of the word That which I read not I beleeve not A written word is the only food of faith the formall object of faith is the truth manifested in scripture every truth hath an esse credibilis Baron contr Turnbullum Deus verax manifestans Faith is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deut. 17.18 because it was delivered in the written word and spoken by God Faith is carried to its object under the notion of infallibility which can never be without divine revelation all humane testimony being fallible though not false and hence it is that the revelation of God in his word is onely propounded by God as a foundation of faith Joh. 20.31 These things are written that ye might beleeve 2 Pet. 1.19 We have a more sure word of prophesie whereunto ye doe well to take heed So 1 Joh. 5.13 These things have I written to you that ye beleeve on the name of the Son of God Isa 8.20 To the Law and the Testimony Joh. 5.39 Search the scriptures for in them ye think to have eternall life And this word of God hath onely been embraced by the faithfull in all ages as the foundation of their faith When ever they would prove any thing to be beleeved they have gone to the written word for a foundation of beleefe Thus the noble Bereans Act. 17.11 who searched the scriptures daily whether those things were so Thus Paul Act. 13.33 1 Cor. 2.9 1 Cor. 15.54 Rom. 14.11 grounded what he wrote upon scripture and Act. 24 14. professed that he beleeved all things written in the Law and the Prophets and Act. 26.22 that he said no other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come So that the doctrine of faith revealed in the scripture must be the foundation to bear us up and out in all duties to be performed Comforts to be entertained Truths to be embraced And hence as we may see the misery of those who have no foundation at all holding their religion onely for forme fashion example fear of superiours which sandy bottomes will never keep them up from sin nor bear them out in sufferings especially death and and judgment so we should labour to improve the doctrine of faith as our foundation in all the forementioned respects 1. By having a deep sence and feeling of our misery so that not
though not so swiftly yet according to the proportion of its motion in the heavens and so though our love to God be more swift and intense then that to the saints yet this is proportion'd to that without love to a brother we can have no assurance of Gods love to us nor any continuance of our love to God He who hath not the love of a brother toward saints cannot have the love of a son toward God OBSERVATIONS 1. 1. Obs We are very ready to decay and grow remisse in our love to God Keep your selves saith Jude The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 keep notes such a keeping as wherewith we keep a prisoner our gadding hearts should be kept with all diligence It s hard to get and not easie to keep up our spirituall fervour The love of most growes cold water growes cold of it selfe but it gets heat from the fire we grow remisse of our selves fervent from the Spirit When we goe from prayer Sacraments hearing though our hearts have been warmed yet upon our going into our worldly employments we are ready soon to fall into a spirituall chilnesse as those whose heat having come outward going into the sharp aire are very ready to catch cold A tender person had need to take heed of leaving off any cloathes and our hearts upon leaving off of duty are subject to abate in the heat of their affections God complaines of those who had lost their first love Our hearts are like green wood wherein fire cannot be kept without continuall blowing Grace of it selfe is desectible Rev. 2.4 and without constant supplies of the Spirit it would soon come to nothing It is onely kept by the power of God Parents will not trust their little children to have their money in their own keeping How had we need beg of God to keep this Jewell of love for us and to preserve it from being stolne from us 2. The lest things should be most carefully kept Obs 2. Spiritualls are onely worth the keeping and indeed onely can be kept Men cannot alwayes either keep the world or their love to it Judas threw away his 30. pieces and his love to them at the same time There wil come a time when as we shal say Eccles 12.1 we have no pleasure in these things 'T is good sometimes in a way of duty to part with these things for to be sure wee shall part with them in a way of necessity How poore is that man who hath no better a treasure then that which is at the courtesie of the theif and moth Oh how great is their folly who will keep every thing but that which deserves their care to lay up trash and pibbles under lock and key and to lay their gold and Jewels abroad in the streets If thou canst keep thy God thy love be not troubled though thou partest with thy gold 3. Further How great how full a good is God! Obs 3. Even when we have him and have had him never so long he hath enough within him to draw forth fresh and fresh loves toward him The more we love him the more we should love him The glorious saints in heaven sing a new song because it is a song of love It is new to them and sweet though they have been singing it so many thousands of years We soon grow weary of our worldly toys after we have had them a while As they are withering objects so our delight in them is a withering delight they are fulsome rather then delightfull and filling 'T is true prophane Esau said I have enough and a saint saith I have enough but with as much difference are both these enoughs as when one man saith I have enough by taking a little fulsome Physick and a thirsty man saith I have enough by drinking a sufficient draught of thirst-satisfying water Before worldly enjoyments are had they seeme beautifull but when they are once obtain'd they soone clog the soule Here is the excellency of spiritualls they sweetly fill and satisfie and yet at the same time we ever desire and hunger for more 4. Obs Vlt. The preserving of our love to God is an excellent preservative against Sectaries and false teachers He who loves God will feare to break the unity and peace of the Church Eph. 4.15 also he will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow the truth in love Errour comes from mens affection a cold corrupt suming vapouring stomack makes an aking head A corrupt cold heart which wants the heat of love to God makes an erroneous head And besides God hath bound himselfe to keep them from errour and folly who love him If a man love and keep the commands and will of God he shall know his will God never leaves them that will not leave him first A man will not forsake a friend a lover Sweet and sutable is that expression Psal 91.14 Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him and Psal 145.20 Psal 119.132 The Lord preserveth all them that love him Be mercifull unto me saith David as thou usest to doe to them that love thee Though heresies and false teachers come yet these as Paul speaks 1 Cor. 11.19 shall but make those which are approved to be manifest They shall discover true love to God not destroy it And fidelity will be the more apparent like that of loyall subjects in times of sedition in the treachery of others To conclude this love is a brest-plate as the Apostle calls it 1 Thes 5.8 to repell all the darts of errour Oh then what need have we to goe abroad with this brest-plate in these times wherein these deadly arrows flye so thick And consider here the true cause that so many are wounded with them Christians want their brest-plate their hearts are not kept nor their love preserved for God The last direction which our Apostle prescribes is conteined in these words Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life An excellent and sutable direction The expectation of a reward in heaven countervails and sweetens all their labour and faithfulnesse in opposing the enemies of truth upon earth and withall keeps up their love to God who commands their resisting of errour and seduction Two things are here principally contained 1. A duty The looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ where he sets down 1. What was to be regarded the mercy of Christ 2. How it was to be regarded by looking for it 2 An enducement encouraging to the performance of that duty Eternal life EXPLICATION In the first branch two things are to bee explained 1. What the Apostle means 1. By mercy 2. The mercy of Christ 2. What by Looking for it For the first mercy Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have very largely discoursed thereof Part. 1. pag. 92. on those words Mercy to you To avoid needlesse repetition I only say that mercy as attributed to man is
receiving messages and answers from Jehovah Numb 22.8 I will bring you word saith he to Balacs Messengers as the Lord shall speak to me and ver 13. The Lord refuseth to let me go with you and ver 18. I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God Num 23 5 16. and Moses saith that the Lord put a word in Balaams mouth he uttered a Prophesie concerning Christ by Divine inspiration There shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel Numb 24.17 to which Prophesie he prefixeth this solemn Preface He hath said which heard the words of God and knew the knowledg of the most High Vid. Aug. Trac 49. in Joh. which saw the Vision of the Almighty Even the worst men as here Balaam have sometimes foretold future things by a Spirit of Prophesie God inspiâ—ed Pharaoh with a Prophetical Dream God hath shewed unto Pharaoh said Joseph what he is about to do Gen. 41.1 25. The like may be said of Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 2.47 Some of the wicked who shall be sentenced to depart from Christ at the day of Judgment shall be able to say Have we not Prophesied in thy name Matth. 7 22. Caiaphas the High Priest a bloody unrighteous man Prophesied Joh. 11.51 that Christ should dye for that Nation Possibly Balaam uttered not his Prophesies as understanding their force or genuine sense to be sure his heart was not holily affected with what his tongue uttered which some conceive to be intimated in that expression of putting a word into Balaams mouth a phrase never used concerning the inspiring any of the holy Prophets And whereas Josh 13.22 Balaam is called a Sooth-sayer or Diviner the word which we translate Sooth-sayer is a word of a middle signification 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dent. 18.10 for in Scripture it is not only taken in the worst sense for one that useth Divination or is a Sooth-sayer but in a good construction for one that prophesies or foretels things to come Mich. 3 11. Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vatem reddiderunt as Mich. 3.11 And some there are who think that Balaam is here called a Sooth-sayer only in regard of his ambition and covetousness and of his ends and aimes in all he did which were not Gods glory or the love of the Truth revealed to him See English Annotâ—on Josh 13 or of his people whom he blessed but his own advancement and the wages and reward of Divination according to the manner of wicked Sooth-sayers But I rather conceive that Balaam out of desire of gain made use of Divellish Arts and unlawful Divinations for the cursing of Israel It s said Numb 24.1 that he went not Annot. in Numb 24. as at other times to seek for Enchantments Whereby it may be evidently collected saith Ainsworth that all his former Altars Sacrifices and consultations with the Lord were by the wicked Art of Enchantment or observing of Fortunes such as the Prophets and Diviners of the Nations used Deut. 18.10 14. which he now left as seeing them not available for his purpose His serving of God Vid. Ames in 2 Pet. p. 272. was mixt with his old Superstition in the number of Altars and Sacrifices in their site or posture towards the points of Heaven in his Gestures and set form of words c. 2. This for the Explication of the first particular viz. whom these Seducers followed or their Guide The second followes viz in what way they followed him or the example which he set before them viz. his Balaams Error for reward In the Greek the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Two things are here to be opened 1. What that Error was which they followed 2 How it was for reward For the first The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hinc Planeta A Planet or wandring Star 2 Pet. 2.15 here translated Error properly signifies an Aberration or wandring from a right path or course wherein a Traveller should walk and therefore more fully Peter explains this Error of Balaam and these Seducers who followed him to be a going astray and forsaking the right way But more particularly the Error whereof the Apostle here speaks is differently expounded 1. Some Learned men conceive it to be that whereby both Balaam and these Seducers were deceived in their expectation of reward and wages honour pleasure profit c. by their sinful endeavours and no doubt but in this respect their way might fitly be called Error or deceit for Balaam in propounding to himself the wages and reward which Balac promised to him in case he would curse the Israelites was himself clearly deceived he being not only disappointed of what he look'd for viz. honour and gain but also bringing upon himself that which he looked not for a violent death by the Sword and most likely the eternal destruction of his soul in stead of receiving his reward from Balac he received it from God Numb 31.8 Josh 13.22 As also did these Seducers draw to themselves in stead of worldly advantages which they aimed at swift destruction and condemnation as the Apostles speak both of soul and body Others as I conceceive more sutably to the scope of the Apostle and to the construction of the other words immediately going before and following understand this Error to be the swerving wandring or deviation of Balaam imitated by the Seducers from the way of Gods will and commandment both in regard of their practice and especially their Doctrine or what they taught others whereby they made them to err and wander from the right way For Balaams practice it was an erring and wandering from the plain and express precept of God in that he went to Balac and that with a defire to curse the people His way was perverse before the Lord Numb 22.32 he was out of Gods way when he was in the way of his journey For his teaching of others he taught Balac to err in counselling him to build Altars and offer Sacrifices for Enchantments and to entice the Israelites to Adultery and Idolatry by the company of the daughters of Moab and it is as plain that he made the Israelites to err from the way of righteousness by teaching Balac to cast a stumbling block before them Rev. 2.14 to eat things sacrificed to Idols and to commit fornication that thus they sinning might be afterward destroyed As touching these Seducers it is most evident that they in their own practice wandered from the way of righteousness and left the way of Truth in their Doctrines that they were ringleaders to Error blind guides who made many to follow them into the ditch Deceivers 2 Pet. 2. false Prophets bringing in damnable Heresies many following their pernicious wayes And that hereby as Peter speaks They went astray and forsook the right way viz. the way of Truth A great sin 1. because Error is a deviating from and an opposing of the