The Explication.

11. THe Apostle, in the immediate Verse before had told them, That the fulness of the Law was Love; and supposing them thereby prepared to fulfill the same, by loving one another, he now adds the convenience of the season, and happiness of the present hour to encourage them to perfection: But we must note he applies his speech both to the Jewes and Gentiles in this place; to the former, alluding unto the time when they did onely be­lieve the Messias was to come, whom now they can see with their own corporall eyes; to the latter, that their time is now come also, of awaking from the sleep of infide­lity, and of their other enormious sins, being the Redee­mer of all mankinde was actually come; though even the Jewes also, after Christs Birth, were fast enough asleep in their infidelity, (most of them) and so were capable of this speech to them, even in that sense too.

[Page 5]12. By the night, is here meant the time before Christs comming, made dark as night with infidelity: By the day, the time after our Saviours Birth, rendered bright as day with the light of the Gospel: the works of darkness are Sin, because they shut out the light of grace from our Souls: the Armour of Light are acts of Vertue, works of Grace; and in these words Saint Paul minds us, that our life is here a spiritual warfare, since we know Armour is necessary for Warriours; though the Greek Text imports by Armour of Light, a kind of habit proper to the day; and this is not inconsistent with the other sense above, for Armour is a kind of habit too.

13. This Verse seemes to begin with prosecuting the last sense in the former; as if it were indecent to appear in the day without our Armour of Light, as above: but if it be taken as independent thereof, it imports not; for the sense is full in it self: A [...] in the day of Grace, as in the day of the illuminating Gospel, let us walk honestly; that is, modestly, converse religiously, and shew our selves to be children of Light by our works, shining to the edifica­tion of our neighbour, and glory of God. Not any more in Banquettings and Drunkenness, feastings and excesses of Wines: These you know are works of the Flesh, not of the Spirit, or the Grace of God; by Chamber-works the Apo­stle means here plainly Fornication, by Impudicities, more petulant, and wanton actions of Lust, even in publick, such as indeed may be well called carnall impudencies. Not in Contention; not striving for vain-glory, and popular applause; whence followes the forbidden Emulation, which is an envie at our neighbours greater good, or e­steem, than our own: See therefore here, three of the ca­pitall Sins so represented unto us, as by all means to be avoided, Gluttony, Lechery, Envy; all being acts and deeds of darkness, not fit to appear in the day light of the Gospel, which now shines bright among us.

14. By putting on Christ, is here meant, being dressed [Page 6] up in such Vertues, as may make us appear Christians, men clad in the Livery, the Sanctity of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ: and so abundant the Apostle, in this phrase, bids our Vertues be, that they may hang as full Garments all over us; for this difference there is betwixt carrying, and putting on of cloathes; that when carryed, they are cumbersome, and not adorning; when put on, they are light, and becoming: So to carry Vertue onely wrapt up in the speculation of it is no way graceful, but to unfold it by the practice thereof, this becomes a good Christian, and this is truly to put on Christ; not onely to study, and speculate, but to practice Vertue.

The Explication.

4. SAint Paul alludes here to what was written in the old Law, and makes it all wholly and entirely, to have been a lessen for our instruction, at least, though not a rule to our actions, since the abrogation of it: and if he say thus of the abrogated Law, much more ought we to receive and read (for our instructions) all th [...] is written in the new Law, which shall remain to the worlds end un­altered. But he applyes this speech particularly now to what he said in the immediate verse before, citing the Pro­phet Davids words, Psal. 68. The curses of those that curse Thee have fallen upon me, making Christ speak these words, as taking upon his own person the Curses and Sins of the people committed against his Heavenly Father; to restore to God, as it were, his lost honour, (if we may so say) by assuming these Curses to himself: as also (by his suffering) to appease the Divine wrath: and in this sense he applyes his speech to the Romanes, that they might con­vert to their instructions, and comfort, this which (in their behalf) our Saviour took upon himself, namely, the guilt and burthen of the Gentiles Sins, as well as those of the Jewes, so to ingratiate them also to his heavenly Father. By the patience and consolation of the [...]criptures, meant, the patience they teach us, in their singular examples thereof, and the comfort they bring us, in letting us see we may (by following the said examples) hope for the like rewards which now the Saints in Heaven have; for so the last words of this verse import.

[Page 17]5. The Apostle calls him the God of patience, and of comfort, because he is infinitely patient, infinitely comfort­ing; and because his Vertues are not (as in Man) his Ornaments, but his Essence; so that he is patience it self, comfort it self, and more, if we could more express. Then we are most properly of one mind one towards another, when we wish, and do as well to others, as to our selves. Accor­ding to Christ; as Christ was to us, and as he gave us com­mand to be, saying, Love one another, as I have loved you. This is indeed absolute perfection, and this is the true Badge of a perfect Christian.

6. That of one minde, with one mouth, &c. Then we do truly glorifie God, when we conforme our selves in all things to his holy Will; and this we can not all do, unless all our mindes be one, (as he is in us all) to that one ef­fect of glorifying him: so when one pretends God is glo­rified thus, and another will not have it so, but in a way clean contrary, then we are not of one minde, nor do we speak forth his praises with one mouth: which yet we doe, when out of severall mouthes we express one and the same will, and way to praise Almighty God. The Apostle seemes to insert the glorifying God, and the Father of Je­sus Christ under two severall notions, to let us see, that as Christ was man, he was also truly the Son of God, be­cause as the second Person had in Heaven a Father without a Mother, so in Earth Christ had a Mother without any Father, save onely God in Heaven.

7. For the which cause; that is, to shew you are all of one mind, &c. receive, help, and cherish one another, be­ing Christians, (or in order that you may be so) as Christ hath received you (that were Gentiles) unto the honor of God, to the same Church with his native and chosen People th [...] Jewes; and (of all severall nations) made up one joynt honour and glory to the Divine Majesty.

8. True it is, Christ was sent by his Heavenly Father with Commission (as it were) unto the Jewes onely, and [Page 18] therefore he did live and die amongst them, to verifie those promises which God had made them in Abraham, and the Prophets; for as the law was onely given unto, and kept among the Jewes, so the promises and predictions of that law did onely appertain to them, and were (necessarily) to be made good amongst them, as indeed most exactly they were by Christ, and this in virtue of Cōmission from his Heavenly Father: For which cause he is called here Minister of the Circumcision, (though he abrogated that law) in regard he did all his life time administer to the circumcised his labours and pains, by Teaching, Preach­ing, Curing, and infinite other wayes serving the Jewes in order to their Redemption; and this directly, and prin­cipally to prove the veracity of God, who had promised to send the Jewes a Messias, that should do this, and by doing this, he was truly, and properly, their Mi­nister.

9. But not to the Gentiles so, because he came to them for mercy onely, and ultroneously; to shew his goodnesse was not limited to the bounds of his Commission to the Jewes, but might (and did) mercifully extend it self also to the Gentiles, thereby to amplifie the honour and glory of God, in doing more than could be expected of him, and that to a people, who had no promise, nor any hope thereof. Though it was not onely foreseen that Christ would doe this act of ultroneous grace and mercy, but fore-told by the royall Prophet, Psal. 17. ver. 50 as followes in this nineth verse of the Epistle.

10. And as ( Deut. 32. ver. 43.) The Prophet sayes of the Gentiles, Rejoice ye Gentiles with his People; that is, with the People of God, with the Jewes, for your Con­version also; and sing forth praise to God for his mercy shewed to you therein.

11. Here it is declared, that not onely some few Na­tions of the Gentiles, but even all of them shall be first or last made partakers of these mercies, and thereby are bound to praise our Lord.

[Page 19]12. By the root of Jesse, is here meant a Branch of that root, namely, Christ Jesus, the son of David, and of Jesse, as Isaias saith in another place, There shall spring a rod from the root of Jesse, Isai. 11. ver. 1. which Rod is Iesus descended as above: and yet with reason enough Christ is called the root of Iesse too; for though as man, he was but a branch of David, (his root) yet as God, he was the root of David, his Creature: again, David was rather his Seed; than his Root, because he had not from David to be Redeemer of the World, but was him­self the Root of Davids, and all Mankinds redemption, and sprouting forth (as from the Root of goodnesse in himself) branches of Grace and Glory to David, and all those whom he was graciously pleased to predestinate for Heirs to God, and Coheires to himself in his Heavenly Kingdome: The hope of which Kingdome he hath mer­cifully given as well to the Gentiles, as faithfully by promise he gave to the Iewes.

13. The Apostle here calls him the God of Hope, as above, Verse 5. he did call him the God of Peace and Com­fort; and prayes he will replenish them with all Ioy, and peace; as who should say, both Jew and Gentile, setting aside former distances, now are to Joy in this, that they are made one in Christ Iesus, and therefore must live in peace together, as the members of a naturall Body, since they are become Members of Christ, his Mysticall Body: that by so living, they may both abound in hope of one reward, enough for both, the Kingdome of Heaven; and this through the Vertue, that is, Charity, or the Grace of the holy Ghost, wherein he also prayes they may both abound.

The Explication.

4. TO Rejoice, that they were Christians, and had the happiness of true Faith, true Hope, true Charity: This the Apostle meant by rejoycing in our Lord, in his holy gifts of Spirit bestowed upon them, not that he had made them noble, rich, or great Persons, but religious Christians: for this he bids them alwayes rejoyce in our Lord; again, and again rejoyce: And when he said always, he meant as well in affliction, as in prosperity, because to zealous Souls no humane trouble ought to be disturbing, so [Page 32] long as they have the comfort of a good Cause, and a good Conscience too.

5. Modesty is a vertue giving a mean to all the actions of a man, and therefore that we might see Christianity sets all things in order both with the inward, and out­ward man; the Apostle exhorts the Philippians to give a proof of their perfection in Christianity by their Modesty; and by such a modesty, as might be known to all men; such a modesty, as puts a gracefull blush upon all their actions, lest any one might see the infirmity of man in him, who was become more than man, by beeing a true and perfect Christian; and therefore S. Paul tels us here, we should stand upon a modest guard, because our Lord, who is to be our Judge, is nigh, and hath his eyes upon us, as needs he must, when he gives us the concourse of his Divine As­sistance towards our each thought and deed: but our Lords being nigh, may now in Advent, be applyed to the Nativity of our Saviour; and for this purpose holy Church appoints that place of Scripture to be read to day, though litterally the Text alludes to the latter day of Doom.

6. By Care is here meant Anxiety or trouble of minde, not that he prohibits a diligence, a due regard to doe what is on our parts to be done, but beyond that he will not have us goe; he forbids us all anxious sollicitude, and recommends a perfect resignation of our selves, to the will and pleasure of Almighty God. And though he bids us have a care to pray upon all occasions, as well of Prosperity, as of Adversity: yet he allowes not any sol­licitous care in us about the effect of our Prayer, whether we obtain our requests, or not, made unto God by Prayer, but will have us leave that freely to his Divine Majesty; for indeed Beggars (who want all things) must not choose what supply they will first receive, but humbly accept of whatsoever is given; and if denyed, they may ask again, but never must be troubled when they are [Page 33] refused: nor is our Prayer to God, other than an expres­sion of our despicable beggery, and exigence of all neces­saries, both for Body and Soul, and since from him we receive all our supplyes (what hand soever it be that gives relief) to him must our Prayer, to him our Supplication, to him our thanks; and (for his sake) to those that are his Messengers, his Ministers of help unto us, and then we glo­rifie him, when we thank them, by whom he hands his Blessings to us.

7. By the peace of God we may here understand, either that increated peace, which is God himself, whereof peace­able creatures participate, or the peace which Christ made between God and Man, by his passion appeasing the Di­vine Wrath, or the peace which we make among our selves, when we forgive each other our Offences; or the peace we have within our selves of a quiet Conscience; for all, and every one of these, are truly called the Peace of God: And yet when the Apostle sayes, That peace which passeth all un­derstanding; he seemes to incline to the first and last ac­ception of Peace; for as that surpasseth the understanding of Angels; so this is indeed past all humane understanding to know, how unquiet man can attain the happiness of that peace, which a quiet conscience affords him, since it calmes all the tempests of outward persecution and trou­ble, and makes a man by the equality of his mind, equally to bear all unequalls whatsoever can befall him, keeping our hearts (our wills) and our Intelligences (our under­standings) still sixt upon Almighty God, still adhering unto him, and united to his sacred Son, our Lord and Sa­viour Iesus Christ.

The Explication.

1. THe Apostle seemes here to bid Man esteem of him (and his Associates in the Apostolate) as if they were not men, but Ministers of Christ, for as much as they did the Offices of God, by being dispensers of his Mysteries; and indeed that is most true, for though to be a Steward, or master of a Family under any temporall Lord, and to dispence, and dispose of his Lords Monies and Goods, be not to execute an office above man, in regard all the goods and monies in the Stewards hands are temporall things, and the properties of nothing above a humane creature; yet to be Steward of the House of God, and to have the dispensing of such goods as are Spirituall, and cannot be the properties of any temporall Lord, certainly this renders a man (though not in nature more than Man) yet by Office hugely more than an Angel: for though we read of them, that they are, Heb. 1.14. Ministring Spirits in the House, or Church of God, both triumphant, militant, and patient; yet we never read that they were stiled the dispensing spirits of Gods hidden Mysteries; which yet, as the Apostles were, so must their suuccessours, the Priests of holy Church be too, and consequently are not in the execution of that Spirituall Office to be looked on, or esteemed as men, but as Ministers of a higher nature, as persons indeed more than Ange­licall, since they have an Office and Power above An­gels; namely, to forgive Sins, and to dispence, or dispose of Gods severall Graces, by the conduit of holy Sacra­ments, Pipes, made on purpose (by our Saviour Jesus Christ) to convey unto our barren Souls the fertilizing [Page 46] waters of heavenly grace; and these pipes are so put into the hands of Priests, as they can turn the cock at pleasure, give, or retain this holy grace, as they judge fit, to administer a Sacrament, or suspend a Sinner from the benefit thereof. But we must further note the Apostle here, as he speaks in generall to all Christians, and bids them esteem Priests above men by reason of their office, so he speaks particularly to the Corinthians in order to their main contention, which was to make a difference betwixt the Dispensers of these Mysteries▪ as if Baptism (for example) received from one, were of more value, than if they were baptized by another, or as if the Ministers of Baptism were the Authors of grace, and so they who received it at a more holy mans hands, received more, than if the conferror thereof were lesse holy; to both these effects the Apostle speaks, correct­ing the Corinthians errour in them both, that is, for think­ing the Administrator of a Sacrament to be the Author of grace therein conferred, or that grace was more abun­dantly conferred, according as the Administrators there­of were more or lesse holy.

2 This alludes to the vanity of the Corinthians, who were men so curious, that they judged of their Preachers as they found them, more wise, more grave, more elo­quent in their Sermons or Catechisms than others, and particularly they adhered much to Apollo, because they held him more eloquent than S. Paul, whereas the same Apostle here tells them, they must not regard in the Dispensers of Gods word, the Rhetorick, language, or eloquence of the preachers, but above all their fidelity, or being faithfull, that is, to have them tell the true sence and meaning of Christ Jesus, to have them give rather sound, than flourishing doctrine, least while they put too much force in words, they lose the vigour of the Spirit, which is, and ought to be the life of a Sermon, and least they seek by the Ostentation of their langua­ges, [Page 47] rather their own, than the glory of God, or preach themselves, not Christ: Whereas S. Paul tells them here, fidelity is the principall part of a preacher, that is, to preach the Word of God, and not the word of man, to preach spirit rather than language, to move the soul to Acts of love, rather than the ear to delight of Elo­quence.

3. This Verse prosecutes the sense of the former, tel­ling them plainly he did not regard their fond judgements, that esteemed men by their glib tongues, rather than by their vertuous spirits; for it is indeed Unction, (a speciall gift of the Holy Ghost) that renders a Preacher most profitable to souls, and so most accomplisht in his preach­ing, whence the Apostle, knowing what he said was pure spirit, told them he did not regard their censures of him, as if he were defective in his duty of preaching, and what he sayes to them in this kinde, he affirmes the like in respe & of all men by his following words, wherein he makes no account of mans day, that is, of humane judge­ment in a point of Spirit; for thus the day of man is often taken, as by Jeremiah it was, Chap. 17. v. 16. when being derided by the people, who contemned his Prophecies, he cryed out, Thou knowest O Lord, I de­sire not the dayes (the applause) of men, nor regard their judgements of me; Suffice it, I have delivered unto them what thou hast to me revealed: So in this sense S. Paul here cares not for the judgement of the Corin­thians, whether they like his preaching or not, but is content that he tells them the genuine sense of his Lord and Master, Christ Jesus; and yet least he may by this speech seem arrogant, See how hee takes off all suspi­tion of vanity in himself by what follows, saying, Though I am not troubled, O Corinthians, at what you thinke or judge of me, yet neither am I so vain as to presume I am without fault, and so I neither will nor dare to judge my self, this place might disswade Here­tikes [Page 48] from presuming they are certain of their future salvation, and of their being here in the state of grace, if themselves thinke so, assuredly S. Paul might better justifie himself, and yet we see he does not, indeed he dares not doe it.

4. While in this next verse he saith, though I am not guilty particularly of any infidelity, vanity, or ostenta­tion in preaching, (for still he prosecutes that sense, which yet generally may be understood of any sin,) ne­verthelesse I am not justified therein he will not justifie himself,) but he that judgeth me is our Lord, and to him I must leave it to judge, who not onely sees and knows all hearts, but perfectly knows them too, that is, sees further and clearer into all mens hearts, than any one man can see into his own.

5. Here the Apostle referrs not onely his own judge­ment of himself, and of his Ministery, but even the judge­ments of all men whatsoever to the latter day of Doom; for then (and not till then) Our Lord shall come, and in­lighten the hidden things of darkness, by laying all things open, and this not onely (as some Hereticks will have it) whether we believe right or wrong, but also whether we doe good or bad deeds according to our Faith: For so by the plurality of hidden things here mentioned to be revealed then, is clearly meant in those words of the Apostle; insomuch that Hereticks fondly pretend unto a certainty of their rectitude in Faith, more than they can doe unto a rectitude in their works, and therefore flatter themselves, that be their works (the counsels of their hearts) what they will, yet since it is by Faith men are justified, and since they pretend to know cer­tainly, that they doe rightly beleeve, they therefore scruple not to s [...]cure themselves of salvation, be their lives never so bad, being their Faith, as they say, (to their certain knowledge) is right: For the Holy Ghost hath taught us a contrary doctrine to this presumption in Ecclesiastes [Page 49] Chap. 9. v. 1. A man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred. So Prov. 20.9. Who can say, my heart is clean? So Job 9 21. If I bee simple or Inno­cent, yet my soul knoweth it not. So Jer. 17. v. 9. Wicked is the heart of man, and inscrutable, unlesse to God alone: To conclude, the sentence of Judgement shall not one­ly passe upon our Faith, whether that be right or wrong, but upon our works, the Counsels of our hearts, for eve­ry one shall in that day receive according to his works: and Luke 20. we receive what our works deserve; and in the mean time till the day of generall judgement come, the Apostle forbids to judge each other, since neither he, nor any man can securely and rightly judge him­self, but then look who hath done and deserved well, the praise shall be to every one of God, though mistaking men have judged those perhaps worthy of blame, whom God shall declare to be praise-worthy, because he finds them to have been faithfull to the Ministery or trust which he reposed in them: So here we see from first to last, St Paul his true sense in this place is upon fide­lity in the dispensers of the Mysteries of God, and declares, that no man but God can judge in that particular, as being an office not appertaining to men, but to God himself, and unto him alone: I must here advertise you, that the Apostle in the next Verse declares that he useth his own, and Apollo's name but figuratively, there­by to represent to the Christians their faults, in pre­tending to have one more light of grace than another, or to be one better able than another to understand the Scriptures, shewing it is a thing they ought as lit­tle to presume of in themselves, as to censure whether he or Apollo did more faithfully perform the trust of God reposed in them, by their ministery of dispensators of his Mysteries.

The Explication.

1. ST. Paul had in the precedent Chapter told the Ga­lathians, that the old Law of the Jews; was a Paeda­gogue (or Usher rather) to the new Law of Christ, and so was to cease when the new Law came: This doctrine he follows now here closely, saying, The Jewes that were the chosen people of God, his first begotten, as it were, and so his heirs, were by all the help of their Lawes but as little ones in the sight of God, that is, as children or infants wanting maturity of yeares, and ripenesse of judgement to govern themselves, and thus were no­thing different from servants, because they were comman­ded absolutely by the Patriarchs and Prophets (being themselves servants of God, though masters of the people) who were indeed Lords of all Gods graces and favours; since no nation shared thereof beside the Jews.

2. The Apostle follows his example, and proves there is no difference between a Lord under the command of Tutors and Governours, and a meer servant, since this Lord or heir is not (all the while of his Minority) to rule and command, but to obey his stewards and governours, who are then the Fathers, and shall after be their young Pupills servants too, and this time in those dayes of the old Law, lasted till the heir was twenty five yeers of age.

3. The Apostle here applyes this argument to himself formerly of the Jewish Religon, and consequently an in­fant, or little one, in the line of those that are Gods true servants, namely Christians; serving God onely under the Alphabet of a religious Law, that is under the let­ter [Page 61] or Elements of the world, which were the old Law, (all the rule men had to serve God by) and then, saith the Apostle, we were like little ones, young lords and ma­sters by birth-right of our Judaism, yet nothing diffe­rent from servants, since we had that Law, but as an Usher to bring us up, and deliver us over to another, much bet­ter indeed, a most perfect Law of Grace, whereunto the old Law was a meer type or figure, a meer Element or Alphabet of a true Law. Note by the Elements of the world are here understood the letter of the law given to the men of the world, in those at least, who were the select thereof, the Jewes, for if the world were here taken for other than the men thereof, the Elements of the naturall world were to bee understood earth, aire, wa­ter, and fire, but since by the world is meant the peo­ple thereof, therefore Element here, stands for the letter of the old (ceremoniall and servile) Law, whence the A­postle here useth the word of serving very aptly, for there are three servings in this word related unto: The First, that of heathens serving their Idols as their Gods: The second, that of the Jews serving God by their im­pure creatures ordered unto Gods service: The last that of Christians serving God by pure creatures, not by Idols, nor by bloudie sacrifices, but by such as in Sa­craments are sanctifyed, and so are more than Jewish Elements of sanctity, as the Rhemists Annotations have at large expressed, though true it is, many by the elements here understand, also the festivall and solemn dayes, moneths, and yeares, which the Jews very superstitiously observed, and made themselves indeed, not onely ser­vants thereof, but even slaves unto them, and this, because in the tenth verse of this Chapter, S. Paul men­tions their formalities upon these dayes, moneths, times, and yeares.

4. By the fulnesse of time is here literally understood, that time when Christ by the authority of his Father, [Page 62] sending him for that purpose, came to abrogate the ser­vile law of the Jews, and to deliver us a more filiall law of love, liberty, and grace; for then was the time of the old law filled up, when it was no longer to re­main, when we were no more to bee under the Ushers and Tutors of Religion, but under Christ himself, the true Lord and master of the whole, (and specially of the Christian) world. That the Son of God sent unto us, is here said to be made of a woman wants not a deep sense, namely to shew he was not begotten, nor conceived of his fathers seed, but was made and fra­med wholly out of the pure substance and blood of his blessed mother, the Virgin Mary; where we are to note the word woman in this place doth not signifie any com­mixture or corruption, which doth accompany the losse of virginity, when maids passe from their vir­ginal purity, to the impurer state of corrupted woman, but woman here signifies directly the sex, or female kinde of man, and so in that sense is competent e­ven to a virgin, who is also of the female Sex: again he was said to be made of a woman, to declare the falsity of the Valentinian and Anabaptistick heresies, teaching Christ to have been made of some aeriall, and not of an earthly substance, as if he had brought his body (ready made in the heavens) out of some aeriall combinations, into the womb of the virgin, and had not received his flesh from her; whereas the true Christian doctrine teacheth; he was flesh of her flesh, and bone of her bones; He is further said to be made under the Law, not that by right he was subject there­unto (even as man) because his person was divine, by the union of his two natures, making but one onely sacred and divine person, so called from his principal, his di­vine nature, but that indeed he was pleased to subject him­self to the law, though of right he were above it, and thus he vouchsafed also to undergo (voluntarily) the law of cir­cumcision, [Page 63] rather to take it honourably away, than to sub­ject us to so dishonourable a slavery, as that of the Old Law was.

5. This Verse reports to the former, and makes that to be the cause why Christ subjected himself to the Law of servitude, namely, because by his so doing, he might re­deem those who truly were under the servile Law, and that by this Redemption we might all receive the Adoption of Sons; and by a new filiation become the children of Grace; nay, even Heirs of God, and Coheires of Christ, who were formerly bastards and slaves of the Devil: whence Saint Bernard sayes well upon this place, Therefore God became Man, that Man might become God: And we must further note here, that this our happy Adoption (which is made by the means of Grace) doth not onely give us right to the Inheritance of God, but to a partici­pation even of the Divine Nature it self; according to S. Paul, Rom. 8. ver. 15. where it was said, we became [True Sons of God by the holy Ghost] communicating himself un­to us, and so making us true Children of Christ, God and Man; if any doubt of this truth, let him read what Corne­lius à Lapide excellently proves to this purpose, upon the place of Saint Paul his Epistle above cited; and what will be said more to this purpose on the eighth Sunday after Pentecost in this Book. We are lastly to note, that not onely the just, who are now under the Law of Grace, but even those just who were under the Law of Moses, were also the Adopted Sons of God; however, the Apostle calls them here Servants, and not Sons; First, because, though they were the true Sons of God, yet they were not in the state of liberty competent unto such Children; Se­condly, because they had not their right to this inheritance, or f [...]liation by vertue of the Law, under which they lived, but by a speciall prerogative of Grace, and Faith infused into them, of Christ his being to come; and so they were rather belonging to the Old, than to the New Law. [Page 64] Thirdly, because in that state they were in, they did want the fruit of Adoption, because when they dyed Just, yet they could not partake of Heaven, the now immediate reward of such blessed Soules as they were, in regard Christ had not opened the gates thereof to mortalls by his first entring into Heaven, as was fit he should, since all others were to follow upon his Title, not upon their own; Lastly, because Christ, by exempting us from the servitude of the Old Law, gave us the right of claime to the Spirit of Adoption, which was that of the New Law, taught by Christ, and affirmed by the holy Ghost.

6. This Verse clearly shewes the truth of the Doctrine above delivered, since to declare we were partakers of the Divine Filiation, God sent us the Spirit of his Son Divine, the holy Ghost, as who should say, it is a true signe we are partakers of the Divine Nature, because we have the Divine Spirit in us; though this Spirit doth rather shew we are the Sons of God, than make us such as the Signe shews the thing to be there, where the Signe of the thing is: for indeed we are the Children of God by the merits of Christ his passion; since the true Adoptive cause, the root of our filiation is the Son of God his Incarnation, for thence we become God, because God became Man; so the grace of the holy Ghost, (or his Spirit abounding in us) is rather the signe, than the cause of our Adoption or filiation, since our adoption is by Christ, and the proof thereof is by his holy Spirit abiding in us; not that this spirit of the holy Ghost is an empty signe; but that besides the signe, it is of our filiation to God, it is also the same God with the Father, and the Son, really and truly sanctifying of us, and uniting him­self unto us by his holy Grace, as well as he unites us to the actuall participation of our Saviours Passion, at the same instant, when he gives us his Grace, and thereby teacheth us to cry Abba Father; that is to say, O Hea­venly [Page 65] Father, look upon us as thy Children, being made so by the passion of thy Son, and declared to be so by the coming of the holy Ghost amongst us into our hearts, inabling them with a loud pious affection (though some­times their lips move not) to cry unto thee in that fili­all voice, which ever opens the ears of thy mercy to­wards us, and makes thee often ask us (as thou didst silent Moses thus internally, and silently crying to thee) What doe you cry unto me for? Exod. 14. ver. 15. my dearest Children, what doe you want? it is but ask, and have.

7. Here is a Graecisme, or Greek transition from the Second person to the Third, as who should say, what I speak of you, O Galatians adopted, as above, the like I say of all third Persons, even any Gentile so adopted; that be he of what Nation he will, if he can truly cry Abba Father; he is not a Servant, but a Sonne of God, and if a Sonne, he is an Heir also by God, that is by Christ, who is the Son of God. O happy Children of this Heavenly Father, who makes all his issue equall Heires, and leaves not younger children to the mercy of their Elder brothers for their Patrimony, but gives all his whole estate in Hea­venly Glory, and by that, himself for their Patri­mony: whence Saint Austine sayes well, Thou hast created us, O Lord, to, and for thy self, and our heart is at no rest untill it have the happinesse to rest in thee; nothing lesse than thy self can satiate us, and this sa­tiety we enjoy, when thy glory appears in us, and placeth us in thee.

The Explication.

1. THe Apostle had in his former Chapter told them much of the mercies of Almighty God, and shewed them how though the wicked were justly condemned, yet even the Blessed were most mercifully saved; hence by that mercy so much inculcated immediately before, he now conjures them, that as they had now received from him the rule of Faith, so they would frame their manners, their actions, and lives according to that rule: see what is said of this Rule in the next Sundayes Epistle, Rom. 12. v. 6. But to the present Text wherein the Apostle here beseech­eth them by the mercy so much above recommended, to live good lives answerable to their rule of Faith, and to exhibite their bodies (by action) as well as their souls (by Faith) a living host to God. There are many who loose the literall sense of this place, by contenting themselves with the divers (and those excellent) mysticall meanings thereof: as first, by saying our bodies are living, when our lives are vertuous; Secondly, when we are charitable because charity is the life of all vertues. Thirdly, when [Page 78] we have received the Sacrament of Christ his Body and Bloud, but in very deed the literall allusion here is to the antient bloudy Sacrifices both of Jews and Gentiles made of beasts dead bodies, whereunto the daily un­bloudy Sacrifice of the Evangelicall Lamb is diametri­cally opposite, first of the living Body and bloud of Christ, next of living, chastized, but not mortified bodies of Christians, being, as the Apostle adviseth, offered up to the service of Almighty God, since such chastizements leave the bodies living by a naturall life: again, they live by the spirituall life of good works, done in obedience to their soules command for so operating: besides by cor­porall mortification or pennance, the body is made truly a living host, because it is mortified alive by becoming subject to the command of the Spirit, for all mortifica­tion is a kind of living death, whilest it makes the body dye to concupiscence, and live to grace: but these our bo­dies must further be holy Sacrifices, that is to say, imployed in holy, not prophane or impure works, not worshipping Idols, (as the Gentiles did) but God, as befits good Chri­stians, not polluting their bodies with unchast actions, but keeping them pure and undefiled, for this purity is by the Apostle (1 Cor. 7) called sanctity, and is such indeed. Again, this bodily host must be pleasing to God, for it may be living and holy in it self, and yet not pleasing to God, if the offerer be displeasing, since many there are who fast, goe in pilgrimage to holy places, doe other corporall pennances, and yet not rectifying together their souls obliquities, their passions of the mind are nothing plea­sing to God. Lastly, he concludes, exhorting that our offerings to God be seasoned with the salt of wise­dome, that is, be alwayes a reasonable service, not fond, childish, curious, indiscreet, or singular, but such as we may ever render a reasonable account of even to God, who will not allow of indiscretions for reasons; though indeed the Apostle here alludes to the irrationall offerings [Page 79] among the Gentiles, who made their Idols their Gods, and dedicated their services to Stocks and Stones; where­as he would have Christians be more reasonable, and in­stead of dead beasts, to offer their living bodies joyntly with the acts of their believing, hoping, and loving souls, to be a perpetuall Sacrifice or service to God all their life time, and thus the whole creature will become not a corporall, not an irrationall, but a spirituall and reasonable Sacrifice.

2. The Apostle hath pleased to make a disjunctive recommends of this entire creature in way of Sacrifice to God, while in the former verse he insisted cheifly on the corporall part of the creature, which we are, and so advised how to render our bodies a living Sacrifice to God, but in this verse he tells us how to render our better part, the soul of man, an acceptable oblation to the divine Majesty, and since Christian perfection consists as well in declining evill, as in doing good, therefore this verse begins with removing evill out of our way, that so we may doe good, which the Apostle understands, when he bids us take heed we doe not conforme our actions to the course of this unconformable world; and this we shall performe by avoiding the evill that we see in men; for we shall then best shew, that we doe not conforme unto sinfull men, when we fly their company, and avoid such actions as renders them sinners; and having thus followed the ne­gative part of this counsell, we are the better prepared to put the positive part thereof in execution: for by not conforming to the world, we (whose bodies are made up of the old worldly metall) shall be reformed in the new­nesse of our minds by setting them henceforward on hea­venly, which heretofore were imployed wholly upon earthly cogitations: so the Apostle, by bidding us not conform to this world, did not mean to forbid us making use of it, but not to figure our selves like unto it, that is, not to become vain, proud, idle, and the like, as the world [Page 80] is, for so we make our selves figures of this world, or variable as worldlings are; whereas the Apostle desires us to avoid becoming mutable or transitory figures, and wisheth us to become persisting formes rather, which are of a permanent nature, namely, spirituall formes of Saints, not worldly figures of men: and here reformation im­ports in truth Transformation, that is Transition, or passing out of the old figure of Sinners, into the new form of Saints, and besides, St. Paul recommends the forme of newnesse unto us, to shew he desires not so much our innovation as our reformation, that is, not to have us be­come new creatures in nature, but reformed ones in grace, such as by newnesse of the Spirit cast off the Antiquity of flesh and bloud; or such as by new grace reform old na­ture; for Antiquity in the holy Story of man reports to old Adam, to originall sin, sicknesse, and death, the effects thereof, but newnesse relates to Christ renewing the de­cay of old Adam in us, by the spritely or youthfull grace of God; and this newnesse of mind the Apostle requires, as a meanes to know and prove, what the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God is; for by proof is here meant experimentall knowledge of the aforesaid wills, and with­out this newnesse we can have no notion thereof; for the old man in us makes us sensible of nothing at all, that reports in the least to God, all the means we have to come unto this knowledge of his will is, by reforming our selves in the newnesse of our Spirit, that so we may know the will of a Spirit, and not remain in the ignorance of an unknowing body, or corporall man, who knows nothing at all of God: The best acception of this place is, when by will we understand the things willed, or desired, as who should say, the good will of God is that which makes us desire to doe in all things what is good at least, his acceptable will is that which causeth us to doe what is yet better, his perfect will is that which moves us to doe (to our powers) what we judge ever to be best: But we are [Page 81] to note the Apostle here speaks of the will of sign, pre­cept, or counsell, which God hath given us to doe good by, or rather to be our rule of knowing when we doe well, but not of the will of his absolute divine pleasure, for that is so necessary, as nothing can be done against it, that is to say, nothing can be done otherwise, than as God is pleased it shall be; but the Apostle here thus ex­plicates himself about these three Wills, describing the good will, from the 3 ^d to the 6 ^th verse of this Chapter, to consist in being soberly wise, and to proceed according to the measure of grace given us by God, each in our calling: The acceptable he describes from the 9 ^th verse to the 16 ^th verse, making that to consist in a sincere cordi­all affection in a servent, strong, and liberall love to our neighbours. The perfect from the 16 ^th verse to the end of the Chapter, he sayes consisteth in a perfect love, mixt with so much humility, as makes us condescend to love even our enemies, and doe good to them, though they requite us again with ill offices done to us.

3. St Paul here professeth his knowledge of spirituall things not to be otherwise in him, then by the speciall grace of God, given him to know thus much as he doth, yet it is most probable be alluded to the particular grace of his Apostolate, which gave him the science to distin­guish spirits, and that he professeth to doe in these three gradations of the will divine, which here hee makes, and if in this place we understand grace for power given unto him to instruct them by office as he was an A­postle, it might (so taken) bee no wrested sense: By bid­ding us not to bee more wise than becomes, he adviseth mediocrity in all proceedings, and disswades from excess or extreams in any kinde; since even at the extremity of vertue, vice attends; or hee may forbid curiosities in points of Faith, such as brinke upon heresie, when they are too far strained: Or lastly, he may forbid in these words, pride and vain glory, or self-conceit in men, of [Page 82] their own ablities, when they value themselves at a high­er rate than others doe, or then indeed they can deserve: For this is to be wiser than they ought, this is not to be soberly, but impudently wise. Hee sayes further, That every one should proceed according as God hath divi­ded the measure of Faith, that is to say, according as God hath given his severall gifts for imbellishment unto the true Faith of Christ, or as graces thereunto belonging, but so as they must be gratis given, and as certain Te­stimonies of the true Faith: Such were the gifts of tongues, of prophecie, of discretion of Spirits, of Interpretation of Scripture, of teaching, of ministery, and the like 1 Cor. 12. v. 10. and while any one had received these gratuit gifts, as measures of his Faith, or as Testimonies that he was a true Christian, the Apostle adviseth him to rest there, and not to undertake teaching, if he were but gifted to the ministery, nor discernment of spirits, if he had onely the gift of tongues, and so of the rest.

4, 5. These two next Verses illustrate this to bee the genuine sense of the former measure of Faith, by the ana­logie between the members of a naturall and a mysti­call bodie; for as in the naturall body it were absurd, if the hand should undertake to speak, or the tongue to reach, what meat the body expected the hand to bring unto the mouth, so were it for one member of the my­sticall body to execute the office and function of ano­ther, as for the Clark to teach, and the Doctor to play the Clarks part, since these are spiritually tyed toge­ther for severall spirituall uses and operations, as the members of the naturall body are corporally tyed, to make one entire thing consisting of severall members: and the spirituall tye or union of the Mysticall mem­bers are interiourly invisible, as Faith and Grace, ex­teriourly visible, as the Sacraments of holy Church; for by these the whole body mysticall is compacted and set together unto Christ, their (now) invisible, and to the [Page 83] Pope, S. Peters successour, their (now) visible Head, and as no corporall member onely serves it self, but is a fel­low-servant both with, and to the other members of the naturall body: for example, the hand serves the mouth with meats, the mouth the stomack, the stomack di­gests all into nutriment for the whole body: So every Christian must be a servant, not onely to Christ the Head, but even to every soul, that (beleiving in Christ) is a member of his Mysticall bodie, the Church, as well as we; and this were to bee perfect members un­to Christ, when we were ready to serve one another, in order to his service, to Gods honour and glory, this were to follow the Apostles counsel close, of being mem­bers to one another, that is, serving one anothers particu­lar necessities, as well as those of our common body, the Church, united to Christ her Head.

The Explication.

IN regard there was reference made to this place on Sunday last concerning the rule of Faith, therefore we shall here take hold of the last part of this verse first, and having premised what is peculiarly necessary upon this which is hugely controversiall, we shall then proceed in our wonted manner for expounding the rest of the Text. We are therefore here to note, That by the Rule of Faith is not understood, onely the Apostles Creed, branched into twelve Articles, as we have received it from age to age, but a set Form of life delivered by word of mouth unto the People by the Apostles, who had first held Coun­sels about it amongst themselves, and stood resolved, [Page 100] all their teaching should be conformable thereunto. And this Rule is not (as Hereticks will have it) the holy Scripture written by the Apostles, for this Rule was made long before any Scripture was written, and it was never delivered abroad but by word of mouth in their preaching and exhortations: so it is properly cal­led, the Apostolicall Tradition, which is yet, even unto this very day, the Rule of Faith to the whole Catholick Church, to the Decrees of all Councels, to the sense or exposition of the holy Scriptures, and consequently Scripture cannot be (as Hereticks pretend) the sole Rule of Faith, though true it is, there must be nothing (nor is there any thing at all) in holy Writ contrary to this Rule, or Apostolicall Tradition; which was much larger than the written Word, and therefore it ever was (and still is) even to the sacred Word, a kind of Rule or Test to try it by, since before the Apostles issued out their written books of Scripture, those books were examined by this Rule of Faith, which was framed by common consent of the whole number or Colledge of Apostles; whereas all of them did not write, nay, two onely of the twelve were Evangelists, or Writers of the Gospels, for Saint Mark and Saint Luke (the other two Evangelists) were not dignified with the stile of Apostolate, though they were all Preachers of the Gospel, according still to this Rule of Faith kept close amongst themselves: And indeed the Evangelists writ their Gospels rather upon Emergencies than upon any design or command they had from Christ so to doe; but in­countring with Heresies, they did beat them down, not onely by preaching, but even by writing, as since the Doctours and Fathers of the Church have done in all ages: yet this difference there is betwen the Apostles and the Fathers writings, that the former are more ma­gisteriall, more oracular, more authoritative than the latter; for however we attribute much to any one Father, [Page 101] yet if another Father write contrary, we regulate our selves then by the consent of Fathers, whereas it is not so in any of the Evangelists writings, or any Canonicall part of Scripture, every book, every chapter, every sen­tence, every word, every letter thereof is sacred, and of uncontrouled, undoubted, indeed of sacred Authority, both by reason of the Authors prerogative Apostolate, and of the speciall instinct they had from the Holy Ghost to write upon such occasions as to them oc­curred.

Now to our usuall gloss upon the Text: In these Three first verses of the Epistle, the Apostle enumerates the gifts proper to Church-men, according to this rule of Faith. From the ninth verse forwards he recounts what even the lay-people ought to beg of God for the em­bellishment or measure of Faith, according to the rule thereof, concerning all faithfull Believers whatsoever, and though many take prophecy for a common gift, be­stowed as well upon the Laicks as upon Ecclesiasticall persons, yet in this place the Apostle takes it strictly, as appertaining to their prophetick, by which is understood, their preaching and teaching Function.

6. For we read in holy Writ, where the Ministery or Diaconate was set apart by the Apostles, as hindring them from teaching and preaching, and conferred on Deacons assigned specially for that purpose: Non est equum, It is not reason (say the Apostles, Acts 6. v. 2) that we leave the word of God, and serve Tables. Consider therefore, Brethren, seven men of you of good Testimony, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdome, whom we may appoint over this Businesse; But we will be instant in prayer and the ministery of the word. The like division is made 1 Tim. 3. where under the name of Bishops he includes Pastors and Preists too; under the name of Deacons he includes all Church-Officers below them too: So under the stile of prophecies, he includes two sorts of Preists, Apostles [Page 102] and Bishops, as also Pastors and Preachers, which are Priests, and those that by office take care of souls, and that of Deacons we shall likewise see divided anon.

Note here by faith, is not onely understood an ab­solute Article of faith, but a perfect understanding the sence of the divine word, bee it written, or delivered from the Apostles by word of mouth; and this Faith is that which is recounted as a gratuit or free gift of the holy Ghost, 1 Cor. 12. v. 9 To another is given Faith in the same spirit; so he sayes here, the Apostles and others had the gift of prophecie, as a measure of their Faith, that is, to explicate the sacred word, according to the rule of faith: so none could use this gift, to vent any their own brain-sick fictions, but onely thereby to illustrate the rule of Faith left unto the Church by Iesus Christ, and conserved as a sacred Tradition amongst the Apo­stles whilst they lived, and so handed over from age to age unto the Church, untill the worlds end. S Am­brose will have this gift of prophecie, or (as the Apostle here means) of Teaching, to be such as renders the Preacher able to deliver high mysteries of Faith, ac­cording to the measure of every true Christians capacity or understanding; and indeed prophecy is here taken pro­perly for a gift of teaching, according to the exact rule of Faith, even when the deepest Mysteries are agitated, or the hardest places of Scripture are controverted: Now by this, and what we said last Sunday, when the third verse of this 12 ^th Chapter to the Romans was expounded, we see the difference between the measure and the rule of Faith.

7. By Ministery is here understood as above, the Diaco­nat, either as it imports the office it self, or the execution thereof, as shall be more at large expressed in the next verse: Suffice it here to know the office is taken for an externall duty of charity; and that as well corporall as spirituall, whereas Doctorat or prophecie, imported onely the spiritu­all exhibition of charity by Teaching, Preaching, or the [Page 103] like: but the gift of Prophecie or Doctorate hath two bran­ches: The one is of strict, solid, and Magisterial doctrine, according to the measure and rule of Faith, a gift not impart­ed to every man, but rarely to some few, and that is here insisted upon only, The other is, of exhorting as followes:

8. This seems a gift that allowes a liberty to the Preacher of perswading to truth by any lawfull art, or meanes of Rhetorick and eloquence, to draw the hearer to a content, (as well as a consent) of what is delive­red; So that this exhortation is properly that which Pa­stours are to mix with their administration of the Sa­craments, and doctrinall points in their Sermons, that the people may thereby be raised up as well to Acts of Love perfecting their will, as to Knowledge per­fecting their understanding: And in this place the A­postle adviseth all men thus gifted to make use thereof according to the measure and rule of faith, not to bury such their talents without profiting others thereby, since here is a reduplication importing an actuall use of this Talent, saying, He that exhorts, in exhorting let him use his talent: As who should say, Hee that is gifted to exhortation, let him make actuall use of that gift: But we are further to note, in this Verse the Apostle explicates clearly the office of a Deacon, or Diaconate, which is Tripartite: The First is, that of Almes; The next, that of Government: The third, that of Hospi­tality for tending sick persons: To the perfection of Alms, he requires Simplicity, such as gives purely for charity, without self-interest, and gives liberally upon all occasions of exigence, not reserving for the future, when there is a present want, but confiding in Gods providence for what is to come without any sinister end, such as theirs is, who give alms to tempt the poor to sin. But chiefly this Simplicity consists in a contradistinction against du­plicity or fraud, and against distinction of persons, as some use to doe, giving rather to one than another in equall ne­cessity, [Page 104] out of a partiality of respect to this body rather than to that, as to an allie or acquaintance, before a stranger, a good or an ill natured man, or the like; which is against true Simplicity: for God is no accepter of persons, Acts 10.38. To the perfection of government, the Apostle requires carefulness, sollicitude, and vigilance, and this to exter­nall and temporall government, for that of Internall and Spirituall, is the Pastors, not the Deacons office, which office chiefly belongs indeed to Archdeacons, for though his personall care bee mixt with the spirituall Regimen of his Parishioners, yet it is his office to see his Deacons carefully administer this Temporall governe­ment, wherein he doth imploy them. The perfection of attending the Sick, or Hospitalls, or of shewing mercy, consisteth in alacrity of Spirit, in cheerfulness, that there­by they may ove [...]come their own Tedium or weari­nesse in so laborious an office, and (by the cheerful­ness of their own looks) exhilarate and comfort those who are sick and comfortlesse, and that (by the affability of their words) they may incourage the sick to believe they are not displeased with the unpleasing attendants on dis­eases, such as are nastie smells, horrid spectacles of their sores, or the like, and so more confidently to beg their helping hands, according to that of the Wiseman in Ec­clus. 35. v. 11. In all thy gifts to others, let thy countenance bee cheerfull, and all this to Churchmen hitherto.

9. See how the Apostle begins the Lay-mans gift of Ministery, with a recommendation to him of dilection or love of his neighbour, as the principall vertue that must render his ministery acceptable to God and man: Such di­lection as S. Iohn (Epist. 1. Chap. 3. v. 18.) mentions, saying; Let us not love in words onely, nor in language, but in deed, and in truth, which place will be explicated at large on the Sunday within the Octaves of Corpus Christi; Whereunto is here added a hatred of evill in those wee love, and a spe­ciall adhesion or cleaving to their good example, if any such [Page 105] be given by them; for so far shall we advance in imbracing vertue, as we proceed in the detestation or hatred of vice.

10. As naturally Brothers love one another, so all Chri­stians being brothers in Christ (their common Father) the Apostle here requires the love that intercedes between them (though of a supernaturall order) should follow the rule of brotherly love which is naturall; but when hee exhorts to a mutuall preventing one another in this fraternall dilection, the [...]e he elevat s the course of nature, which is dull, and raiseth it to that of Grace, which is quick and nimble, brooking no delayes, not expecting to be first obliged, but obliging before wee receive any other obligation thereunto, than what our Christian duty recommendeth to us, indeed com­mands us to use, as for point of love: Though as for preventing each other with honour, that being an Art of Heroick perfection, it is here onely counselled, and not commanded.

11. Here Governours are exhorted to a carefulness, to a sedulitie or diligence in their offices, least by their sloath, any under their charge perish, and to be boyl­ing, as it were with a fervour of Spirit and devotion towards acts of charity; not simpering or standing still, as if the fire of love in their souls were quite extin­guished, and did not propend them to rise upon all oc­casions administred of doing good to others day or night: The marks of this fervor are first, that our minds be whol­ly attent to the good action in hand, next, that we covet the doing it, as much as any other can desire to have it done: Lastly, that we continue constant in such actions, and doe not flaccess or grow weary of well doing: and this must be with regard to God, as if in serving man, wee served God in man, for else our service might be servile and not filiall, performed more for fear than love, serving time ra­ther than eternity, whereas if we make it a part of our duty to God, that we serve man, then it will bee boy­ling, [Page 106] and fervent, as it ought, because it riseth from a su­pernaturall heat, or motive, more active than any natu­rall one can be.

12. The hope that must cause our rejoyceing to be accom­plisht, ought to be that of the Heavenly joyes; for the higher we make the expectation of our reward, the more alacrity shall we have in doing well, and therefore Chri­stian joy ought to be of a higher strain, than any the pre­sent, or future emoluments of this world can suggest into us; but such should be our joy, and hopes, as the Prophet David speaks of Psalm, 4. ver. 10. calling it a singular puesto that we are placed in; or an expectation of singular hopes, not ordinarily (or ever indeed) here arrived unto, but laid up for us in the magazine of Heaven, where the least of all rewards are infinite; and besides unattainable, if our joy here at any time be such, as may not hope for eternall joyes to accompany the same: but if such then our vain wordlly joyes, or felicities (all of them that are truly vain) would be laid aside, and we should rather content our selves with patient suffering, which the Apostle recom­mends, after he had taken away in his former words all vain joyes, than with shaking these sufferings off, to seek contents or comforts from this world, which we could not hope to enjoy in the next; but making it our joy to suffer, and bringing that suffering to the perfection of an incessant, or instant Prayer, by referring all our actions to Gods Honour and Glory; for in so doing, we shall follow close the counsell here given us in this Verse of persisting in Prayer; and the like given by Saint Paul, 1 Thes. 5. ver. 17. Pray without intermission; and of Saint Luke, commanding such Prayer, chap. 18. ver. 1. while he said, we must alway pray.

13. Some understand this place as meant by praying for our own, or our neighbours necessities, and in so praying, availing our selves and our neighbours of the Saints intercessions; so as by the necessities of Saints are [Page 107] meant here their memories of us, which we doe want: Thus Saint Ambrose, thus Origen, thus Saint Hierom, all after the Greek text, who take memory here in a double sense; first, as to availe our selves of our remembring the Saints examples given us here, and the reward of glory given to them in Haven, to incite our selves to the like sanctity in hope of the like reward: secondly, as we availe our selves of their remembring us, while we implore their aide by making memory of them in our services, as in the Canon of the Mass is dayly done; In these words, Communi­cating, and revering the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the holy Apostles, Saint Peter, and Saint Paul &c yet the more literall sense is that of the Latine Text, alluding to our relieving others here, or in Purgatory in their neces­sity; the one by Prayer, the other by Almes: and these as Saints, we are bid Communicate unto, or relieve; that is, as presuming they are so, rather than judging them to be Sinners, because their name at least of Christians is Holy, what ere their Lives are so by Communicating is here meant exchanging our workes of Mercy, for their workes of Merit, who are in want: Pursuing hospitality, that is to say, rather hunting after occasions to doe good, than flying of them, or indeed expecting them, till they be cast into our laps; for though then to relieve is good, yet to search out the poor, and to carry them our Almes, is much better.

14. By Blessing those who Persecute us, is here under­stood praying for them, that God will turn their hearts, which yet is not so much a precept, as a Counsell; much lesse are we to curse them, or to wish the like persecution may befall them, as they bring to us, for we are under precept bound not to doe this latter, though the former were a counsell onely.

15. This Verse teacheth us how to make our neigh­bours, his good, or evill, to be our own, by rejoyceing at his prosperity as at our own, and lamenting his affliction, [Page 108] or weeping thereat, as if our selves were under the same lash: For thus we should shew our selves to be perfect Christians, and indeed, where these common bowels are not, there Gods particular spirit is wanting: and this joy, as it is understood to be rather of our neighbours spi­rituall, than temporall good; so is our sorrow to be more for his sinne, (whereby he loseth grace) than for any his temporall loss whatsoever:

16. There is much labour to know the true meaning of the unanimity, or being of one minde, which is here recommended; for some (and those not unaptly) will have it to be an advise Apostolicall for every man, hum­bly to depose his own opinion in things that are not sin, or apparent falsities in naturall truths, or at least not re­sist other mens opinions in like cases out of animosity, to defend our own, as holding our selves wiser than our neighbours, or more learned, which is no part of Chri­stian perfection, for that teacheth us to undervalue our selves rather, and to preferre all others before us, both in Vertue and Learning. Saint Chrysostome explicates this place, as exhorting us to measure our selves by our neighbours, rather than to reduce them to our defective proportions: but Origen (and he indeed in this place better than any) will have the sense of it to be thus; that is, wishing to your neighbour in all things, as to your self, and averting from him, what you would not have fall upon your own head: and here we are to note, that as from the nineth Verse to the twelfth, the Apostle told us, what Christian dilection was, so from thence, to this place, he proceeds to tell us, how that Love is advanced, or promoted; first, by hope of eternall Glory; next, by patience in Adversity; then by incessant Prayers: fur­ther, by Hospitality to all persons, Friends or Foes; chiefly, by this his last advice of Ʋnanimity, in the senses above said: for as the first and chief Christian Vertue is Charity, so the next is Humility; and with that here [Page 109] the Apostle closeth this present verse, forbidding us to vaunt our own knowledges or abilities, but rather to agree, and acquiess to the opinions of those, who are re­puted, perhaps less able, or less vertuous than your selves; this is indeed a true signe of humility, and this is perhaps the literall sense of the Apostle, counselling us to consent unto the humble, that is, even to those who are below us in the indowments either of nature, or of grace.

The Explication.

17. THis Epistle begins with the end of the seventeenth Verse, the beginning being explicated in the last Sundayes Epistle; nor is there any thing of moment can be said more, than the Text it self speaks, disswading us to render evill for evill, but exhorting to provide as much good as we can to all men: which Saint Bernard explicates, as alluding to conversation, and counsel­ling it may be good, both in the sight of God, and Man, saying, We owe our Consciences to God, our Fame to Man, though perhaps this may be an addition of per­fection to the former part of the Counsell, as who should say, we were not onely to avoid rendring evill for evill; but rather instead of so doing, to repay an ill turn done unto us with a good deed done by us, to those that doe us hurt

18. And to that purpose the next Verse alludes, say­ing, If it may be; for perhaps all the good we can doe, will not gain upon our enemeis, at least we must endea­vour on our part there be no defect, but that (if possible) we be at peace with all men, as we desire God to be in peace with us, and not to wage against us the warre of his wrath and fury, since we offend him hourly, and that infinitely more, than any enemy we have can offend us.

19. The Latine phrase is not defending your selves, but because commonly the defense of Man against Man is made by way of Revenge, therefore here the Apo­stles sense is extended thereunto, as if what resistance we may make under the moderation of an unbla­med defence must be sure to savour nothing of Re­venge, if we will hold the integrity of a good Christians reputation: but instead of Revenging, give place to wrath; that is, as some will have it, to the Divine Wrath, [Page 122] which is provoked in God against all those that doe injury to any one of his creatures, as Princes take the wrong done to their Ministers for affronts to them, and so revenge the same; others say, to be silent, to depart, when you are exasperated, is to give place to wrath. The last and best meaning is, if your enemy begin to be angry, oppose him not, but let him go on till his anger be over; and this, as it is truly to give way or place to wrath; so oftentimes it is the means to appease the fury of the Enemy, who (if re­sisted) might increase in fury, whereas not being opposed, he cools within himself; and so there is double way gi­ven, both by the receiver of a wrong, and by him that through the patience of the injured, surceaseth to doe fur­ther injury, by his further wrath: and this way is sutable to that of our Saviour, saying, Luke 10. v. 29. If any strike your right cheek, turn him your left, rather than strike him again: So this place thus given to wrath imports as much as a pardon given to our neighbours offence against us, as we hope for pardon of our offences against God: For thus we shall give way, that the injurious words, passing through our humane ears into our Christian hearts, and there bu­ried in the bowels of brotherly affection, may die, and be no more remembred, than if they never had been heard by us, or spoken by our enemy: and lest we should say, if neither I, nor any friend else revenge my wrongs, I shall never live in quiet; therefore the Apostle (knowing this was an objection obvious against him) adds presently what is written, Deut. 32. v. 35. Revenge to me. I will reward; as who should say, Be not, O Christians, sollicitous how to redeeme your vexation for injuries, unless you revenge them, be it your part to receive all wrong patiently, and leave it to God to right you; let him revenge your quar­rells, he both can, as omnipotent, and will, as just, infal­libly revenge your wrongs, rather we should pitty those who fall into the hands of the living God; for that is terrible, as the Scripture sayes, Heb. 10.3 [...]. and wish they had not [Page 123] done us wrong, to pull upon themselves so great a revenge.

20 Contrariwise, If thine enemy hunger, give him meat, &c. which is advised, Prov. 25. v. 21. as if we should like loving mothers feed our enemies, as our children, and the manner here expressed is like to that indeed, which mothers or nurses use to little ones, first giving them a bit of meat, then a little drinke, and so continue till the child covet no longer feeding; and in very truth the fury of an enemie menacing our ru­ine, is a kind of reducing himself from the state of a man, to that of a little child void of reason, stamping and staring for anger without cause, since no man will anger a child. This phrase of the Proverbs, heaping coals of fire upon our enemies heads is variously explicated; some thinke our patience to an implacable enemy makes him guilty of hell fire, but this cannot stand with a sound sense, if our patience bee to any such end, though per­haps rather than be provoked our selves to impatience, wee may permit our enemy to incurre that danger, and so permissively cast coals of eternall fire upon his head: The second sense therefore is better, of those that say, our patience causing an enemies blush is a kind of firing him with his own passions of fury, and shame together; but best of all they explicate this place who say, we cast coals of charity upon an enemies head by our patient bearing his injuries, and requiting them with courtesies, for eve­ry such courtesie is a fire-coal of perfect love and charity, which commonly will inkindle in our enemy a retalia­tion of the like love to us, and so his anger may be­come to him a happy fault, by our outdoing his evill with our good; and this fire is rather to be cast on our ene­mies head than elsewhere, because as from the brain arise his fancies to all his passions, so the remedie is best ap­plyed to the part diseased.

21. By evill is here understood injury, which is estee­med as evill, done unto the party injured; we may also [Page 124] understand it to be our own impatience, and presume the Apostle adviseth us not to be overcome by it; for ‘in very deed, no man is hurt, but by himself,’ as St. Chry­sostome well observes, and by hurt he understands in­juries. So that if any man offending us make us com­plain, be sad, or impatient, it is not his power that casts us down, but our own impatience trips up our heels, and pushing us against the ground, shewes our own weaknesse gave us the fall or hurt, and not our adver­saries strength: for had we been patient, we had cast him on his back, whereas now we fall on our own faces, to hide the blush of our complaining weaknesse who should (like men,) resist manfully the violence of our own passion over us; which being inward, hurts deep­er than any outward blow can doe of our greatest ene­my: And shame it were for Christians to be overcome in perfection by the heathen Aristotle, who 4 Ethic. c. 3. teacheth his Schollars, That it is a sign of ‘ Magnanimity to forget Injuries; for (saith he) as it is a mark of a weak stomack, not to bee able to digest hard meat, so it is of a pusillanimous soul not to be able to indure a harsh word;’ rather let us follow S. Paul, concluding this Epistle with exhorting us to overcome evill with good, whereof Lycurgus gives an excellent Example, who ap­prehending an unruly boy, that had with a stone put out one of Lycurgus his eyes, and carrying him thence, in­structs and breeds him up to good manners, then restores ‘him to the unruly people, saying, Behold the boy whom I received from you injurious and unmannerly, now I re­store him to you civilized and popular,’ that is, fit to be made a Member of this well governed Common Wealth, and then we best perform this Counsell, when by receiving patiently the injury, we convert the heart of the injurer; for thus we overcome him, while our patience cures his passion, while our vertue kills his vice, and makes him vertuous, that aymed to make us vitious, by his provoking [Page 125] us to impatience. Now to conclude this Epistle, wee may observe the intent of the Apostle, hath been to shew us in very remarkable particulars, what he had from the second Verse of this Epistle to the very end thereof, re­commended unto us; namely, the good, pleasing, and per­fect will of God, for by performing all these Counsels given from that second verse to this last of the Chap­ter, wee shall not onely know, but even doe the will and pleasure of his Divine Majestie.

The Explication.

8. SOme misunderstand this place, as if it did argue obligation to pay the debt of Love, but that all other debts were with all speed to be payd: whereas in very truth the sence of this place is quite otherwayes, and imports as much, as if the Apostle had said, what other debts soever you are able to discharge, yet never esteem your selfe quit from the debt of Love, which you must al­wayes owe unto your neighbour, though you clear all other accounts, debts, or scores with him; because when this debt in part is payd, it inflames the reckoning for the part behind, just as fire, being bl [...]wn, or made use of, doth more and more enkindle, whereas if rak't up in the ashes, it soon dies: So the more we use charity, the more we enkindle and increase it: therefore the Apostle saies well, that we can never be out of this debt to our neighbour, since if we pay him the Love we owe unto him for this day, to morrow we shall find our debt of Love inflamed, and and grown greater by the very agitation of that divine fire, which is the mutuall Love of one ano­ther. To which purpose S. Augustine (Epist. 62. ad Coelestin) hath an excellent saying: ‘ SEMPER DEBEO CHARITATEM, QUAE SOLA, &c. Love I must al­waies owe, which of all debts, though payd, yet still keeps a man in bonds. And againe, CHARITATEM LIBENS REDDO, &c. I do willingly pay Love, and as willingly take it in payment: it is a thing, which when received, I count not my self fully satisfied, nor when I repay it, discharged.’ Hence we may see how absurdly the Anabaptists, and Trinitarians Heresy exploded by this Text all debts of Justice, and onely required the debt of Love to stand due for if Charity oblige to doe ultro­neous and voluntary good deeds, how much more [Page 143] to do Justice? but so perfect a payment of all debts is com­manded by this place, as we see the Apostle saies, Who loveth his neighbour fulfilleth the Law, because we cannot love him, but we must love God for himself, and man for God's sake, as we love our selves.

9. And to confute further the Heresy above mentio­ned, see how this whole verse insists upon Acts of Justice to our neighbour, rooted in the commanded Love to them aforesayd: Whence some conceive the Apostle alludes onely to the law of the Second Table, because here is no mention of any one of the three precepts belonging to the First Table, importing our duty to God; but S. Austin contends, that the love of man (being but subordinate to the love of God, 1 John, 4. v. 7.) imports and includes both, grounded on those words of S. John, Children love one another, repeated over and over againe to his friends, and being asked why he did so, he replied, because it is the Precept of our Lord, and if this alone be done, it is suffici­ent. For our love to God and man, is like the lines drawn from the Center to their Circumference, be the Center God, the Circle man, the Lines our affections, see then how they flow between these two extreames, the more they approach to the Circle, the wider they are; but as they recede from the Circle, the closer they go, till at last they are all concentred in one point, Almighty God; and so made one heart and one soule amongst our selves; hence we see, that all the motion our affections have from man to God, growes still more and more vigorous and more perfect: So S. Austine concludes, DILIGE, ET FAC QUOD VIS. Love, and do what thou please. (Tract. 7. in Epist. 1. S. John.) whereas the Apostle sayes, if there be any other precept (meaning of the Second Table) for of the three belonging to the First Table, and that of honouring our parents, (the first precept of the Second Table) he had spoken before at large, under the title of Superiour pow­ers, Princes and others, ending that subject in these words, [Page 144] To whom honour honour: for that command is in these words Honour thy Father and Mother, under which title are in­cluded, Elders, Betters, Superiours, especially Princes, spoken of at large from the first verse of this Chapter to the end of the seventh, ending as above, to whom honour, honour: I say whereas the Apostle saies, if there be any other Precept, it is included in this word, Love your neigh­bour as your selfe, we are to note the Precept of love to our neighhour is bipartite, as divided into two branches, the first whereof is affirmative, grounded on these words of S. Matth. Chap. 6. What you will have others doe to you, doe you the same to them. The second negative, in that of Tobit, Chap. 4. v. 16. What you hate to have another doe to you, see you never do that to another: not that this Precept commands an equality, but onely a similitude of love to your neighbour, with that you beare to your self, that is to say, as all you desire is honest, good, delectable to your selfe, so desire the like to your neighbour, not in equall proportion but in exact similitude, distaste him not, hurt him not, rob him not, as you desire he should not, distaste, hurt, nor rob you: so the allusion is to simili­tude not to equality.

10. The reason of this is because the object of our love being good, the effect thereof must be good also; for as none can love evill for evills sake, so none can love good for evills sake, because true love both makes good the end and medium of its operation: as who should say, doe I finally ayme at good, then good must be the medium lead­ing thereunto; so it being good to love our neighbour, the operation of this good love, cannot be a bad thing. There­fore the Apostle concludes, The fullnesse of the Law is Love, that is to say, if we love, we fulfill the Law: or as Tolet saies, ‘ The scope or end of the Law is Love, or as S. Augustine, because love forceth a man to fulfill the Law,’ hence we see, Faith alone sufficeth not to satisfie the Law without Acts of Love; how absurd is it then to [Page 145] say as hereticks do, the Commandements are impossible to be kept, when by onely love they are all fulfilled: not that so perfect a love can here be hoped for, as shall exempt us from veniall sinnes against the Law, (since such is one­ly reserved for the next world, and performed in the state of Bliss) but that we may forbeare mortall sin, even in this life, if we but love our neighbour, as our selves, and God (appretiatively at least) above all things, that is to say, not so well to love any thing, but still to resolve we will rather leave to love it, than for its sake cease to love God; and surely thus all good Christians doe appretia­tively Love God above all things.

The Explication.

12. THE Apostle began this Chapter with telling the Colossians, that as they were dead in Christ, whilst Christ dyed for them, so if they meant to rise with Christ from the grave of their sin, they must look upward, and seek from hence forward such things as were to be found in heaven, not what was common upon earth, as before they had done: and when he had bid them Cast off the old man, Colos 3. vers. 9. now in this verse he begins to tell them, how to vest themselves anew with ornaments fit for the spiritual and inward man: and that they may doe this with more alacrity, the Apostle bids them doe it under the confidence, that they are now the elect and chosen of God, his holy and beloved people, m [...]de so by the lavacrum or clean­sing of his sacred bloud shed for them, and least they might doubt of this, he had in the immediate verses be­fore told them they were now in Christ a new creature, that though formerly the Jewes were the onely favourites and chosen people of God, yet in Christ both Jewes and Gentiles, Slave or Free-man all were alike, if they did all equally believe in Jesus the Messias and Saviour of them all, who had chosen them, not onely to Grace, but to Glo­ry: and this incouragement premised, he bids them now put on the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, pa­tience, Virtues not heard of among the Iewes who had hardned their hearts against God, who had inhumanely butchered his sacred Sonne, who proudly aymed at no­thing but worldly pompe, who immodestly reviled Iesus [Page 156] to his face, who like furies would have stoned, and at last tore in pieces their Lord and Saviour: so far th [...]y were from patient hearing him tell them Truth: not were the Gentiles, or Barbarians men of any Vertue at all, but either superstitious, or savage people: so these Co­lossians being people of no better extract by na­ture, hee had need tell them, what Bowels, what affections of heart they were (by Grace at least) to have, what inward Vertues, what outward deport­ment.

13. As for example, supporting one another, a thing un­heard of by those, who aimed at nothing more than to sup­plant their neighbour, and to re [...]r their own monuments upon anothers ruine. As for pardoning, it was esteemed folly by them, who thought revenge the sweetest thing in nature: and as for our Lord God, they so little knew him, that his pardoning nature was no motive to their vindica­tive dispositions; which yet Christians that know God, and beleeve that (in his sacred Son) he hath pardoned the offences of the whole world, cannot pretend, but must (as taught by him) or pardon others, or not hope for pardon of their own sins.

14. But above all, that is to say, it sufficeth not for a Christian to forgive an enemy, but he must also love him too: for Charity is the band of perfection, not onely the life of every Vertue, but the link that chaineth them to­gether, and binds them all up in one bundle, to make a present of them to Almighty God, as of so many particulars necessary to make one accomplisht Soul: nay, not only bind­ing up all vertues together in one man, but also uniting all men together, as making so many members to integrate one Mysticall Body of Christ his holy Church: so that no one Vertue can subsist alone without the help of another to support it: For instance, modesty is lost, unless patience help to bear it self modestly against those who are injuri­ous; againe, Patience cannot subsist without Humility, [Page 157] inabling us to bear patiently the proud comportment of others, and their provocations to impatience; and the like is of all Vertues whatsoever; for we shall find no one can stand alone, without it lean upon another; but this is singular in Charity, that she is not necessary, as a par­ticular support to any single Vertue, but is further the common Soul, or life unto them all, insomuch, that without Charity, there can be no Vertue at all in any Soul: For as Saint Paul sayes, 1 Cor. 13. If I have Faith to remove Mountaines, if I speak with the tongues of Angels, and have no Charity, I am become as sounding Brass, and a tinkling Cymb [...]ll: making a noise, but no Harmony nor Musick, in the hearing of Almighty God: and here the same Apostle calls Charity the band of all Ver­tues, thereby to shew us we are but loose Christians, un­less tyed up together in the Band of Charity, whereby we are made to love God above all things, and our neighbour as our selves; and in so doing, are by this Band of per­fection rendred perfect Christians, Chosen, holy, and Belo­ved children of Christ Iesus.

15. Out of this mutuall love followes an effect of peace. which is here recommende [...] to us, in no less degree than it was in our Saviours own heart, even that (simili­tudinarily, not identically) which Christ had with the Jewes, when on the Cross he besought his Father to be at peace with his enemies; that peace, and no less, the Apost e desires, should exult (he would say abound) in our hearts too: his meaning is, we should rather recede, from our own rights, than seek to recover them by losing the peace, and quiet of our minde, or then be at variance with any body whatsoever: to which purpose Cardinall Bellarmine had an excellent axiome which he was known by, saying often upon occasions of disputes, or oddes between party and party, One ounce of Peace is worth a whole pound of Victory: and this Cardinall was not alone of this opinion, for Saint Austine sure taught it him, in his twelfth Sermon [Page 158] upon this verse of the Apostle, where he speaks thus, I will not have with whom to strive; it is much more desireable to have no enemy, than to overcome him. But the Apostles sense in this place is yet deeper, for he so recommends peace un­to us, as he leaves it for the commandant in our Hearts, the ruler of them, and of all our actions, indeed the crown of them; besides, as who should say, what ere you doe, see it be peaceably done; see you may, after it is past, say you have thereby made no breach of peace, either in your own, or your neighbours minde; but that you goe to­wards God, hand in hand with all the world, rather fol­lowing them (who si [...] not) than by breaking from them, though upon your own, perhaps better designe, cause a di­sturbance amongst others And indeed if we be at any time necessitated to a war; the Christian and reall end thereof being peace, argues how much this Vertue is re­quisite to abound in every pious Soul. And eace is here called Christ his Vertue, because it was the speciall gift he brought from Heaven; when the Angel told us his nati­vity brought Glory to God above, and peace to men of good mindes upon earth, Luke 2 ver. 1 [...]. and at his parting, he left it himself, as a legacy amongst us, saying immediate­ly before his ascension up to Heaven, John 14. ver 27. My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: and for this reason the Apostle sayes, We are all called by Christ in one Body; that is, made up peaceable members one with another of his own sacred and Mysticall Body, the holy Church: Bee therefore thankfull is the close of this Verse, to shew it is a benefit infinitely obliging Christians to re­ceive (by Grace) so admirable a gift as peace amongst us, that are made up (by nature) of many contradictions, not onely externall, but internall also: though there want not, th [...]t instead of thankfull, expound this place as to import, being gracious, or pleasing to each other, for so are all peaceable men acceptable to everybody wheresoever they come; and truly, however the Rhemists translate it [Page 159] Thankfull, yet the expositours (especially Saint Heirome) incline to think gracious to be the more genuine sense of the Apostle in this place.

16. True it is, by the Word of Christ, is here meant as well the written, as the preached Word of God, but in regard ignorant persons are more apt to misconstrue, than rightly to understand the written Word; therefore holy Church is sparing to give leave to read the Bible, and libe­rall to advise us to hear it Preached, or explicated by the Priests. But if it please God, we have it once expounded unto us, that we may understand it in a safe and sound sense, then not to read it, will be a fault, whereas till then to read it, may prove a danger to us: and in very truth one reason why I have undertaken to set forth this book, was to give the Lay-people a little liberty in reading, at least all the Epistles and Gospels throughout the Sun­dayes of the year, when they were laid open to them in a safe sense, such as might (nay, must needs) edisie, and can no wayes offend, or cause dangers to the reader: so to read, and possesse themselves of thus much Scripture, as is here delivered in the flux of a year unto then, must needs be highly commendable, and hugely profitable un­to every one that reads, and makes it their study, indeed their Prayer from one end of the year to the other; for so shall they have abundance, or store enough of Scripture for them to be able inwardly to abound withall, and to conferre wisely thereupon with one another, nay, even to teach themselves, if the Priest fail to doe it, how to square their actions according to the Word of God, the Law of Christ, the instinct of the holy Ghost, and the rule of his immediate substitutes, the Pastours of holy Church, whose preaching may be more ample, but must not be to other sense, than what they find delivered to be the true meaning of the holy Scriptures: so shall they be ever in grace, singing, &c. that is in thanks-giving to God, for having received thus much of his holy Word expounded [Page 160] to them in their own native tongue, and rendring him much more thanks for having left so much more of the Gospell, as they have not here expounded, full of the same delightfull and solid substance, conducing to their Souls salvation: and even this thankfulness of their hearts is the singing here mentioned, for out of their abundant grati­tude they will be alwayes praising God with some discour­ses of this nature, which will sound in the ears of our hea­venly Lord, as so many Hymnes, Psalmes, and Canticles of praise unto his Divine Majesty.

17. And consequently will beget in us a habit of doing, as this last verse exhorteth us to doe, namely directing all our words and actions to the honour and glory of God the Father Creating us, God the Son Redeeming us, and God the holy Ghost Sanctifying us, and commanding that we remember our acquaintance with the sacred and undivided Trinity came unto us by the means of the se­cond Person thereof, wherefore in recognizance of that infinite obligation to th [...] second Person, which was Christ Jesus, all our thoughts, words, and deeds; all our prayers and praisings of this great God, shall then be most ac­ceptable, when they fall from our lips, or flow from our hands imbellished with this adorning memory of being said and done in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, which is partly a Precept, and partly a Counsell; and certainly it is a negative precept, that is to say, it forbids us now to call upon God in the name of Moses, or of his Angels, or of his Saints directly, as in former times the Jewes did, saying, Let not our Lord speak to us lest we die; no, let Moses speak, whereas now we are bound to say, Let not Moses, but Christ speak to us; nor let the Angels or Saints be our immediate recourse, but be Christ the prin­cipall refuge we have; and if by Saints or Angels we help our selves, be it as they are more in favour to inter­cede for us, than our selves are; but so as still by them we aim at Christ for our Assistant, for our Redeemer, for [Page 161] our Saviour, so as by his, not by their Merits we hope to be saved, though by their intercessions, rather than our own, we may hope of Christ to be heard. And thus from the negative precept as above, we come to finde it as well a positive, or affirmative command, as it is a counsell to direct all our thoughts, words and deeds to Christ, as to our last end of those Actions, which must first in his Grace have beginning: This, I say, is an habituall precept, however it may be but an actuall Counsell; that is to say, in generall, all we think, say, or do, must (to be meritori­ous) be virtually at least directed to God, by the merits of Christ our Lord, his Son: But we are not under pre­cept bound actually to make this application of all we say, or doe, for to this we are onely counselled; and it is indeed the best counsell we can, or give, or take, if at every thought, word, or deed; we make attend an act of di­recting it to our last end, our souls Salvation, through the merits of Christ Jesus; which God of his infinite good­nesse grant we may doe, by a sweet custome of so doing, not by a scrupulous perturbation of minde, if we fail therein; for nothing so certain as that we shall fail and then to afflict our Souls otherwise, than by endeavour to mend next time, is so far from Vertue, that it is a very dangerous vice of scruple, as if it were in our powers not to be failing men; or as if God were a Tyrant, and would expect under pain of Sin from us, that which he onely counsels, but commands not; so our failings is rather Infirmities, than Sins; and at such we ought ra­ther, with the Apostle, to glory in them, than to be trou­bled at them, 2 Cor. 12. ver. 15 God forbid (saith he) I should glory but in my own Infirmities; that is, to see how in the midst of them he was still supported and assisted by the grace of God, alwayes enabling him (to endeavour at least) to doe all things to Gods Glory, as the same Apostle exhorted the Corinthians to do, in his first Epistle to them, chap. 10. ver. 31. and as we may laudably endeavour all [Page 162] our life time to doe, but must never be afflicted to finde our selves fail of doing it, since it is rather a counsell, than a precept; and so to fail in this, is rather infirmity, than sin, as I said above; and which I choose to repeat, because I would have it fixed in the memory of all scrupulous Souls, for their comforts, and their Ghostly Fathers ease, whom they often tire with their needless scruples in such trifles as these, for want of rightly stating the duty of a Christian to themselves.

The Explication.

2. THe Apostle speaks not here in the plurall number of himself, as Princes, and great Persons, but in a quite contrary way derogates from himself, rather by at­tributing his own writings joyntly to other his associates, and companions, as namely; here he doth in the first verse of this Epi [...]le specifie both Sylvanus and Timothy, as if he had no more share in this, than they; and as if, what ere he writ, they did sugg [...]st, or dictate to him, as much thereof as came from his own much deeper Spirit: an ex­cellent example for all Writers to fellow, and attribute their works to their helpers in them, rather than to them­selves alone; besides. Sylvanus being Bishop of the Thes­salonians, there was great reason for the Apostle to consult him in all his proceedings amongst his own Diocesans: In their own Bishops name therefore, and in his compa­nions, who went the circuite with him, (Saint Timothy whom he had made Bishop of Ephesus) the Apostle sayes, We give thanks to God for the Conversion of you Thessalo­nians, in our incessant Prayers for your preservation in the Faith of Christ, and that by your example others may re­ceive the like Faith, and be alike converted.

3. Here (as in almost all other places of holy Writ) we are to note the Apostle joynes good Works with Faith, to make it recommendable, and availing; lest Hereticks should (as yet wilfully th [...]y doe) mistake and think Faith alone without goo [...] W [...]ks wer [...] saving; whereas it is the active and laborious Faith that brings us to Heaven; The Faith which is continually working by Charity, that is to doing good deeds: for lest they should mistake, and think he meant their Faith was onely the Work of God; (which as it is a gift indeed, is true) see how immediately he illu­strates his own other meaning to the sense above, of opera­tive Faith, when he addes to the works of their Faith, the la­bor [Page 175] of their Charity? as who should say, the sole habit of Faith is not enough to those who are able to produce acts there­of; and those acts of Faith are then best, when accompa­nyed with deeds of Charity, giving life to Faith, which without good Works were a dead habit, nothing at all a­vailing us: But the Apostle proceeds yet further, and to make his sense full of perfection, adds also to their Faith, and Charity, which he took speciall notice of, their hope in God, which made them endure persecution for their Faith, and indeed in this Verse he hath artificially (and solidly too) given the three fittest Epithetes to these three Theo­logicall Vertues that could be; whilst he takes notice of their working Faith, their laborious Charity, their sustein­ning Hope: whence Saint Chrysostome, and others note, the Apostle commends not Faith without Workes in the acts thereof; nor Charity without Paines, in Almes to­wards the Poor and Sickly; nor Hope without Patience, or suffering in persecution for Justice. And not without reason doth the Apostle here take notice of these three Ver­tues in the Thessalonians, in regard Jason, a Thessalonian by name, was summoned to the Tribunall of publike Justice, as we read, ( Acts 17. ver. 6.) for having concurred to Saint Pauls escape from his persecutours, as also diverse oth [...]r Thessalonians were molested both by the Jewes and Gentiles, for their becoming Christians; and in this the Apostle commends the work of their Faith for their paines in relieving the Apostles, and cherishing all the poor Christians they met with; hence he commends their la­borious Charity, their imprisonment patiently endured for their Religion; their sustaining Hope, that gave them courage to endure temporall losses, in expectation of eter­nall rewards, which he calls the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ; that is to say, the hope of what Jesus Christ brought us news of, eternall Glory: For before he came, most men lived and dyed like Beasts, without regard to any other life, than this sordid one they enjoyed upon earth: [Page 176] but it is worthy observation, to see the Apostle speak so confidently of our sufferings here before Men, as if God, for whom these men did see us suffer, were as visible in our eyes (though we see him not) as the men are, whom we doe see; and truly, so it is: For God is remarkably seen in all his creatures, according to that of Saint Paul, Rom; 1. ver. 20. The invisibles of God, by those things that are visible, (and rightly understood) are seen unto us. And if we could alwayes have this truth in our minde, we should alwayes have God before our eyes, as the Apostle avoucheth the Thessalonians had, saying they did believe, love, and hope, (in the senses above) as if they had God the Father, and his sacred Son perpetually standing before them, and visibly incouraging them to all the good actions of their lives; which indeed, if every good Christian should perswade himself, and square his actions according­ly, we should soon see a good world here, and a happy re­ward of our goodness in the next life.

4. The knowledge he here speaks of, is not that of his Belief, and Faith, but rather of his experience: for it was an evident proof to him, that God did love those whom he had Elected to the happy calling of Christianity, as it was preached by Christ himself, and his Apostles; not as now, when that terme of election is too loosely, and too largely taken, God knowes; though in truth he alludes here to his knowledge, that their Election to Glory will be the reward of their vocation to Grace, if they persevere, as they have begun, to be good Christians; so he speaks (as by what followes appears) literally of their present election to Grace, mystically, and as by conse­quence, of that glory, upon condition of their perseve­rance.

5. For it was a signe of present Grace (joyned with a hope of future Glory) that he takes notice, his preaching did not onely work in force of words with them, but in power of Grace also, both in the Preachers, and in the [Page 177] hearers; In the Preachers, as confirmed in Grace by the holy Ghost descending upon them, and making of poor ignorant men, deep Doctors in an instant, for this is it he alludes unto, saying, You know what men we have been among you; meaning before the holy Ghost came down upon us, and what now we are for your sakes, that is to say, men illuminated by God for your instructions, and exposed to all hazards of our lives for your conversions, all which argues the gift of present Grace in the Prea­chers; and the actuall conversions of the hearers, argues the same gift of Grace in them, and both these give indeed hope of future Glory to them both: Note, that by the much fulness, is here understood, the like plenitude of his Doctrine confirmed by like miracles, preached by the like impulse of the holy Ghost, avowed by the like sufferings for the truth of his Doctrine, as was the Doctrine, Miracles, Preaching, and Sufferings of the other Apostles called be­fore him, who never had been persecutours of the Church as he was, whom they had seen doe all in the same fulnesse of Grace, as the other Apostles did; and by the Gospel in the beginning of this Verse, he means his particular preaching the Word of Christ.

6. Here is a strange kind of speech, wherein S. Paul puts himself, Sylvanus and Timothy as examples to the Thessalonians before Christ, when he sayes, they were fol­lowers of them, and of Christ; as if he meant for their sakes, they had also followed Christ and not them, or Christ his sake; yet if we reflect upon it, this seeming immodesty is hugely modest, and extreamly true, indeed necessary; for however Christ were the Apostles, and his other Di­ciples immediate example and pattern which they follow­ed; yet to all the after-Ages, the Apostles, and their suc­cessours to their respective times, were the immediate, and visible rule of Faith unto the world, and the examples, whom they (first) following, afterward are called Chri­stians; because Christ, as he was the first rule to the A­postles, [Page 178] so is he the last rewarder of those that believe in him for the Apostles sakes; that is, by meanes of the Apo­stles, and their successours, teaching, and preaching the Faith of Christ; in regard Christ not being now visibly a­mongst us, gives us leave to follow him by such examples, as he pleaseth to send unto us, wherewith to supply his own absence, namely, the governours of holy Church. Nor is it any way derogatory to Almighty God, that man is instrumentall to his Divine Service, as that we say, we owe our conversion to such an Apostle, to such a Priest, to such a holy Man, as the immediate, and visible cause thereof; however, we finally place our Faith in Christ, and our trust in God, who hath given such Gifts, such Graces, such Powers unto Men, as to prevail with their followers, to joy in their Tribulation, which they suffer for hearing, and receiving the Word of God: true it is, we receive this Word from the mouthes of Men, but it is the holy Ghost that moves us joyfully to suffer the Tri­bulation of all severest persecution, rather than not im­brace this Word as Divine, however delivered by men un­to us, because it hath in it an energy, a force exceeding all humane power, such as inables us to renounce all tempo­rall happinesse in hope of the Eternall, which this sacred Word doth promise us.

7. See here how the Apostle courts his own Converts, by making them in a manner Co-apostles with himself, whilst their exemplarity of life is the means of converting others to the Faith of Christ, whom the Apostles never did converse withall: as here they are said to be worthy of the stile of Co-apostlate over all Macedonia, and A­chaia, great Countries, looking upon Christianity as an object of [...]arest Beauty, by reason of the singular Vertues shining in these Thessalonian Matrons, to whom this Epi­stle relates.

8. Nay, he goes further, and to their religious demea­nour, attributes the Conversion in a manner of all other [Page 179] Nations, insomuch as there is no more need, as he saith of the Apostles, and he adds, that as the Thessalonians be­lieve, so all the world beli [...]ves, seeing in them such remark­able signs of sanctity, verity, and doctrine;

9. They themselves, that is to say, all those amongst whom we now come, have heard of your celebrated con­version, from Gentilism to Christianity, from plurality of gods, (so he meanes by Idol gods, dead stocks, and stones,) to the Adoration of one sole, True, and living God, from all, and unto all eternity: And this your con­version is the more famous, by reason of the persecuti­ons raised against us, and you, upon this account, who rather chose to die, than to desert us, though our en­trance was persecution, and your exit sufferance, for the promulgation of the Gospel, which teacheth us to adore one onely God.

10. And to expect the second coming of his sacred son Christ Jesus at the day of Judgement to revenge his Fathers, and his own wrongs done unto them, by the sins of ungratefull and mis-believing men, who not­withstanding they see Christ was raised from the dead, will not yet believe him to bee the Messias and Saviour of the world; from which revenge or wrath, those who be­lieve in Christ Jesus are delivered, that is, from the dam­nation due to their incredulity, who believe not in him; or to their evill lives, who though they doe rightly be­lieve, yet live not according to the rule of Faith, or doe not works answerable to their belief.

The Explication.

24. THE Apostle had in the foregoing verses spoken of his disinterested evangelizing without the least mixture of sordid gaine for his so doing, but meer­ly out of zeale to Soules and love to God; and in this verse he similifies between an Evangelizer and one that runs a race: having first stated his businesse, that the Evangelizer must be a man voyd of all proper Interest or ends, ayming onely at Gods honour, and the salva­tion of Soules: so to this purpose he tels us first litte­rally of Evangelizers, that though all of them doe runne, yet it seemes not alwaies all with one ayme or end, not for one and the same prise; some for true zeale, and they win the race, others for self interest, and they (though continually running) yet loose the match, be­cause they runne by the bowe, not by the string; they would fayne carry with them the compasse of their own desires, and yet think to get heaven too, so they take perhaps more paines, and yet to lesse, indeed, to no purpose. Mystically the Apostle meanes the same of the lay-people, who all pretend to runne for the prize of heaven, but he, that is to say, such onely winne it, who runne right on, and make no Maeanderous circles of mix­ed ends, which retard their speed. And that he meanes not onely one person, but all such as runne equally, that is to their utmost, all for one pure, simple and impermix­ed end, the following words avow, when he saies, so runne yee that yee may obtaine, that yee may winne the race, the prize, the kingdome of heaven, the Crown of Glory: Here he speaks in the plurall number, to shew that heaven is not reserved onely for the best of Christians, but that every good Christian may by running reach it, but then he must be alwaies running, as continually ra­cers [Page 192] are, since the least interpaulation or intermission of running is to cast ones self behind, and therefore by so running is here meant running with all speed possible; since when we doe all we can, unlesse God reward our uttermost endeavours, with adding spirituall wings to our leaden heels, we shall come short. Hence it is S. Austine saies very well, Not to goe forward in virtue, is to goe backward: So S. Bernard too, ( Epist, 254.) therefore if to advance be to runne, not to runne is to loose ground: and in the same place he brings in a similitude of Jacobs ladder, whereon there was no angel at all stood still, but every one was in perpetuall motion, either upwards or downwards; The ascending Angels importing the bles­sed soules, and the descending the damned, whence it is that not to rise in virtue is to fall to vice, shewing there is no finall medium between good and bad, between hea­ven and hell.

25. Here the Apostle alludes to his own refraining all sinister or propper interest in his Evangelizing, least they might retard his speed in that race he was running for his crown of Glory, as Racers refraine from all such meats as doe obstruct or shorten their wind, and feed upon those things as dilate the lungs, or lengthen wind, which is of greatest use for Coursers; and thus he doth to con­found those sordid Soules, who will abridge themselves here of many pleasures and delights, meerely to gaine the temporall reward of popular applause, and yet will not refraine the least of their sensualities, to gaine the eter­nall reward of praise from God and Angels: but if we shall gather one principle which will serve to all purposes in this kind, let us here fix our eyes upon temperance, as most conducing to healthy and vigorous soules, as take­ing away all lustfull humours, and supplying us with chast spirits, that render our soules sound, agil, active and victorious.

26. See how prettily S. Paul compares sinister ends in [Page 193] Gods service to men at cuffs with the ayre, or running at hazard whether they shall win or loose, that is by mixing humane, with divine ends, by rayling at the world and the devill, as if they were our onely enemies, and yet pam­pering the body, which is indeed mans greatest adversa­ry, in regard neither of the other two can hurt us, if we be sure the body be subdued. Because we are not tempted as angels by pure intellectual motives, but by sensual or corporeall ones.

27. And that this was the Apostles sence in the verse above, see how he now speakes in clear termes to the same purpose, saying, I chastize my body, and bring it into ser­vitude, as if that were indeed the maine enemy a man had, and truely so it is: for nothing (saith Aristotle) en­ters into the soule or understanding, but first it must passe the sentinels of our outward sences, and they, if loyall, will keep out all sinne whatsoever, but if corrupted or treacherous to their sovereigne, the soule, then they wel­come any traytour sent by the world or the devill to sur­prize their Prince: and indeed all resistance to forreigne enemies is vayne, if we first subdue not our domestick foe, our own bodies, by forcing them to obey the com­mands of reason; for unl [...]sse we bring them first to this obedience, all our resistance to sinne is like artilery let flye at crowes in the ayre, when an army of daring men are ready to run into the mouthes of our Cannon, and might be taken off if levelld at, whilest our bullets fly in vaine above their heads, by a mismounting our Artil­lery, that is to say, by roaring and crying out against the distantiall world and devill, when indeed the flesh is the storming foe that scales our walls, unresisted at the same time we pretend a maine resistance to our mightiest foes: this fond way of fight the Apostle tells us of, when he shewes his own close guard to be the safer defence, namely, the chastizement of his own body, and if we aske what that chastizement imports, we shall find it to be not [Page 194] onely a correction or slight rebuke, but an absolute sub­duing or captivating of it to the soules command, by fasting, prayer, and other corporall austerities, as haire-shirts, disciplines, or worse tormenting instru­ments, such as holy men have taught us the wholsome use of upon all notable occasions of temptations or dangers to the soule: nay, these meanes the Apostle used amidst his greatest spirituall labours, least as he sayd, while he preached to others, he might himself become, reprobate, by the assault of pride or vain-glory; how much more then oght those to mortifie their bodies, who do not wast them in spirituall indeavours, as S, Paul did: but above all how fondly do Hereticks shake off the use of corporal mor­tifications, the exercise of good works, under pretence of Faith alone to be sufficient? when the greatest master of Spirit in the world, S. Paul, dares not hold himself by Faith secure without good works, much lesse did he boast, as they doe, of a revelation, that he should be saved, noe nor relye upon his being confirmed in grace, but wrought his salvation with feare and trem­bling, which did accompany his hope, not his pre­sumption thereof. Heare Saint Ambrose how he speaks against hereticks opposing this doctrine, and practise of Saint Paul, in his Epistle to the Vercellan Church, I hear (saith this Doctor-Father) some men say, there is no merit of abstinence, and that those are mad, who chastize their bodies, to make them subject to their soules, which certainly Saint Paul had never done, if he had held it to be madnesse. To the same effect all the rest of the Fathers abound with like sentences, which for brevity sake I omit to transcribe, but not to admonish the Christi­an reader of, especially the hereticks, whom it most con­cernes: I say not who they be, least I offend persons, while I onely oppose their errors, cut of charity to them, and zeale of their soules salvation.

Cap. 10. vers. 1. Here the Apostle seems to divert [Page 195] from the Corinthians to the Jewes, but indeed makes this seeming diversion an approach to them againe, whilest he puts them in mind, that it is not onely Faith with Abraham, nor to be baptized with Christians, will suffice to get the goale of heaven, unlesse we run continually thither upon the speed of our perpetuall good works: for, saith he, I will not have you ignorant that our Fathers, name­ly the children of the Synagogue, the Israelites, want­ed not Faith, nor the figurative Baptisme of the cloud and the red Sea, types of our true Baptisme; yet because they did murmur at God, and sinne in the desart, deserting thereby the necessary adjunct of good works, to merit their arrivall at the land of promise, of six hundred thousand, onely two men, Joshua and Caleb did arrive at, and enter the said land: In like manner Christians, be they never so firme in their Faith, never so deepely dipt in the true Baptisme of the red sea of Christs passion, unlesse they hold on the speed of good works, while they are running the race to the heavenly Canaan [...], they shall never enter that heavenly land of promise, which is the price they runne for. But we are here to note how Calvin corrupts this place of S. Paul, saying, the Jewes received no lesse the truth and substance of Christ and his bene­fits in their umbratile and figurative Sacraments onely, than we Christians do in our reall Sacraments, which are the true substance of the Jewish shadowes. For the Apostle doth not say, they and we eat all one meate, but that all they among themselves did eat of the figurative body of Christ, the Manna in their desart raining down upon them, and drank of his figurative bloud, the wa­ters flowing out of the rock strucken by Moses, as a Type of the bloud and water, the matter of our truer meates, issuing out of our Saviours side, peirced by Longinus, as Jesus hung upon the crosse: The cloud here mentioned is that we read of Exod. 13. shadowing them in the day from the scorching Sun, and shining like [Page 196] fire to guide them in their nightly marches through the desarts; as prodigious a thing, as was the division of the red-sea by the switch of Moses his wand, as he march­ed on before them.

2. Note this verse doth not assert the Jewes to have been baptized in Moses, as in a signe of their beliefe in the Mosaick Law, but that by this precedent miraculous kind of Baptisme, they were induced after­wards to believe in the [...]aw of Moses; so in this the fi­gure differs from the thing figured, for though this their umbratil Baptisme previous to their Faith be a Type of our true Baptisme, yet our Faith in Christ is precedent thereto, whereas the Jewish Faith was consequent to their shadow of baptisme: And whereas the divided sea stood as two brasse walls to secure the children of Israel a dry passage through the wet element of the waves, yet joyned againe to overwhelme the Aegyptian forces, that presumed to persecute the children of God: so the red sea of Christs passion divides it self to secure the children of grace, but closeth to drown the children of the devill, originall sinne in infants, originall and actuall too in the adult, being those who are at years of discretion: As therefore our Baptisme is the thing prae­figured by this divided sea, so Christ is by Moses, so the holy Ghost by the cloud, cooling the scorching sun of concupiscence in us, and inlightening our darkned soules by his holy Grace.

3. We were told in the exposition of the first verse of this Chapter, that they did all eat the same figurative food, onely with us, that is Manna, wich was a figure of Christs body, our spiritual food in the Sacrament of the holy Al­tar, not his reall body as we doe: so the true sence of this place is, that as they all did eat one figurative bread, and had one faith in God, so doe we; but yet, as their faith and food did not carry them all to Canaan, so will not faith alone car [...]y us to heaven without good works.

[Page 197]4. This verse is harder than the former, in regard it will not be easy to shew, how they drank of that rock that followed them, unlesse we allow they drank of Christs bloud as well as we now doe, since Christ is truely the rock that did follow them, or came after them, and issued out his pretious bloud for us really to drink; againe Christ was a spiritual rock, as here is said, not a reall rock of stone: for the true understanding therefore of this place, we must know by spirituall rock is here understood a mysti­call or typicall rock, and such was the reall and naturall rock out of which Moses commanded water with a stroak of his rod; and yet that reall rock was but a mystery, type, or figure of Christ, and so in regard of that myste­ry, is called here spirituall, because it did praefigure the rock of Christ: some therefore say with the Hebrewes, that this rock did miraculously follow the children of Israel even to the land of Promise, grounded in that text, Numb. 21. ver. 16. Others conceive this to be ve­rified by the water of the rock following the children of Israel, at least till they came where plenty of more water was; others think following them is veryfied by the obedi­ence the rock shewed to issue out water once at Moses com­mand, so by follow they understand obey, but this falls short of the gramatticall signification of the word follow: so the true and genuine sence of the Apostle is, that this rock as it was a type of Christ, so the following of this rock is typicall and not reall, Spiritual and not natu­rall, as who should say, Christ, who corporally follow­ed them many yeares after, did spiritually now follow them, that is in his sacred Deity, or as he was God, not man, marched with them from the beginning to the end, and so by his providence still supplyed them with water, which was in effect to make the rock follow them: so here Christ his divinity was the thing signified by the water out of the rock, which did represent the same; and to clear this sence, the Apostle sayes in plaine termes, the spiritu­all [Page 198] rock (here meant by the material or natural rock) was Christ. Those are his words. But the rock was Christ; as who should say, what we mean by this spirituall rock following them was Christ his divinity, for his humanity was not then in being, when spiritually he did follow them nor doth it urge against this truth, what is fur­ther objected, they did drink of this rock, but the rock they dr [...]nk of was the materiall rock, therefore that ma­terial rock was not onely a type of the spirituall, but was truely the spirituall rock, since as the drink was materiall water, so the rock must be the ma [...]eriall rock, for it is an­swered, the water they drank was typicall, because it was a figure of Christs Deity, and so the materiality of both rock and water hinder not the spirituality of Type or Figure in them both. To conclude, the Allegory of this place holds thus. Christ was this rock, who was there­fore sayd strucken by Moses, because the Iewes were of the Mosaicall Synagogue, who struck Christ to death by the Rod of the holy Crosse, the bloud of which rock was satiating drink to the true believers, and was water of contradiction to the Incredulous Iewes, who will not be­lieve in his deity, and misbelieving hereticks, that deny the reality of his blessed body and bloud in the Sacrament of the holy Altar, by whose virtue we are carried through the desart of this world into the heavenly Land of Pro­mise; nor will it follow, that therefore these words of Christ saying, this is my body, are to be understood as hereticks pretend, This is a figure of my body, as here we say, this is a spiritual rock, that signifies This is a figure of a spiritual rock, because Christ doth not say, this is a figure of my body, or this is my body spiritually meant, no, but this is my body, absolutely and really, the same which shall be crucified for your sinns upon the crosse, as it was indeed, not onely figu­ratively, but really: besides the sixth verse of this Chap­ter cleares all doubt of this point, saying in expresse termes, [Page 199] These things were done as in a figure to us, so here is a plaine profession of a figurative speech in the Apostle; we find none such of any figurative speech of Christ, when he said. This is my body.

5. This fifth verse confirmes what was said before, That Faith alone without good works was not enough to bring the children of Israel into the Land of Pro­mise, and consequently, much more are good works ne­cessary to bring us to heaven; lest as the greatest part of the Hebrew people perished in the desart, so the great­est part of Christians be damned, if they lead not lives answerable to their Faith and Religion.

The Explication.

19. NOte the Apostle in the beginning of this Chap­ter tells the Corinthians, (v. 3.) as Eve was se­duced into a curiosity by the subtility of the Serpent from her innate simplicity and obedience, so by these false Apostles they are drawn (being tickled in the eares with novelties of doctrine) to a curiosity of knowing and imbracing it, and consequently fall from their simplicity and obedience to Christ. Note ( v. 7.) he professeth to have preached gratis, without taking by way of taxe any thing from the Corinthians, but supplying himself of means from Macedonia, rather than he would burthen them: This he alludes to, ( v. 20. if any take) as false Apostles did. Note ( v. 16. of this Chapter) he desires them to beare with the folly of his now pretended (nay intended) boast­ing, to shew how they were fooled by their false Apostles in that way, and tels them ( v. 15.) he is not in his la­bours interiour to the greatest of those boasting- Apostles; and some expositors understand that verse of the reall Apostles, and of his non-inferiority [Page 217] even unto Peter in his paines; but not in his Power as heretickes wrest it to import, contrary to the true meaning of Paul, and sense of the whole Catholick Church. Again, ( ver. 13.) he bids them beware of the crafty workers, transfiguring themselves into Apostles of Christ, as Satan did himself into an Angell of light ( ver. 14.) Note lastly, ( ver. [...]8.) he professeth, as others glory according to the flesh; that is, either of their birth, or naturall abilities; so he will now boast himself of his good parts and labours, which he declareth is not accor­ding to the Spirit of God; ( ver. 17.) nay, he confesseth it is enough to make him seeme a fool; but he useth this way, onely to retort folly on them who are fooled by false Apostles with this Art. For we are to note, Saint Paul had huge opposition against him by these Silver-tongued men, and persons of quality; who partly by their power with Friends, partly by their transcendent Eloquence did much mischief amongst the Faithfull; so that the Apo­stle here was fain to use part of his enemies Arts, by vaunting himself, to try if that might keep the faithfull from being seduced by such slights: and who can deny but a pious slight is more avouchable, than an impious one: so in this Verse he partly jeers, partly flatters; as who should say, You are wise in Christ, and yet let the fools, his enemies, carry you away from him.

20. It was indeed notorious, the thraldome which these false Apostles brought their adhaerents into, by attendance on them, as little Gods, by exhausting their estates in maintaining these mens prides, which he calls devouring them, and buffeting them on the face with contumelious re­proaching them of their faults in the open hearing, of others.

21. In this verse the Apostle pretends he can, if it please him, act the tyrannicall part also, take from them as much as others doe, extoll himself as high as others doe, and depresse them as much as any dares to doe it, [Page 218] and this kinde of speech he professeth to be ignoble, disho­nourable, nay, foolish; yet some others prevail by such means, therefore he gives himself leave to act that part a­while.

22. In this Verse he vaunts to be of the Hebrews Race, as well as others who boasted of it; where we are to note, the Caldeans, by passing the River Euphrates, were called even thence Hebrews, which signifies passe-over, as the Chaldeans did passe Euphrates to live in Palestina. And Abraham, as we read, Gen. 14. ver. 13. was the first cal­led an Hebrean, because he was the first that passed Eu­phrates, or as others think, because they were descended of them, that in the confusion of Babylon, onely reserved the pure Hebrew tongue, the Faith and Religion of Abraham, to which descent, as the false Apostles laid claime, so doth Saint Paul; and thus consequently an Israelite, and of Abrahams Seed, as well as they, Acts 22. I am a Jew, born in Tarsus the Metropolitan of Sicilie.

23. He doth not here affirm, They are the Ministers of Christ, but takes it as an assertion of their own; and for argument sake lets it pass, saying, he is truly so, whereas they onely pretend it; and for even letting this pass for a truth, he tells them, he speaks as one scarse wise, for hu­mouring them in such fond arguments; yet they are ad hominem, such as themselves using, they cannot but allow them to have force, if he use them too; and whereas the false Prophets boasted of the pains they took, the true Apostle here professeth he hath taken much more pains than they, to indear himself to them, since he was often in Prison, for labouring to convert Souls, and was often beaten on the High way; by deaths are here meant the dangers of death, to which he often exposed himself.

24. It was a Law in Deut. 25. ver. 5. that no man corrected with stripes should receive above fourty lashes, and so to be sure not to infringe this Law, the Jewes ne­ver gave above thirty nine stroaks to any Malefactor that [Page 219] they whipped; and therefore when Saint Paul was five times whipt for his preaching, he had every time one stroak less than fourty; which whipping he avoided at Rome, by pretending the priviledge of Tarsus, whose natives were all held Romans, and so free from that base punishment of being whipt.

25. He tells here of much more than Saint Luke men­tions in the Acts of the Apostles; whence we may con­clude Saint Luke writes not all the truth, though all he writ be undoubtedly true. It seemes this whipping with rodds was different from the former flagellations he spake of, which was with whips. He sayes the wracks he suffered were in the middle Ocean, not as usually on the shoars; so that it was miraculous how he escaped, and therefore he speaks, as if he had been so often at the depth of the Sea, be­cause had not Miracles preserved him, and brought him like Ionas to the shoar, he had indeed been drowned; so he tells what naturally would have been his fate, but that God providentially prevented it.

26, 27. See here how both by Iewes (those of his own Religion and Race, Acts 22.) he was in danger, in all times, in all places, by all parties of acquaintance; friends as well as foes, whom he calls False Brethren, pretending friendship, and yet betraying him; which suf­ferings ought to be incouragements to Bishops and Pa­stours ever after, finding how their Predecessour led them the way, and pattern of Apostolicall behaviour in such occasions.

28. He passeth now from his outward troubles to his inward cares of all the Churches under him, all the Souls converted by him; and any one of these Souls he values at so high a rate, that to save her, he is willing often to incur all these enumerated dangers.

29. What greater tenderness can be expressed, than the making other mens evills his own, out of the equall love he bears to them with himself; hence he is weak with [Page 220] the weak, burned with those that are scandalized, that is to say, scorched with the passion that boyleth in those, whose zeal makes them take scandall at others mis­doing.

30. Now whereas the False Apostles did glory in their power amongst the people, Saint Paul (to teach the Co­rinthians better principles, makes profession to glory rather in his infirmities; that is, in those passages of his life, which rendred him mean, and contemptible in the sight of others, in his being whipt, and scorned for Christ his sake; not in his Miracles, for there he shewed power, but in his sufferings; not in his Sins, for had he committed any, those he could not boast of, nay, must blush at, but in his being weak with the weak, &c.

31. See how severely he avers this Truth, when he calls God to witness it:

32, 33. This Governour was Father in-law to Herod, who first marryed the daughter of Aretas, King of Ara­bia; and whom he after repudiated, and cast off, to mar­ry Herodias his brother Philips wife; for which cause A­retas made war against Herod, to revenge his Daughters wrong; in which war Herod was slain; and Damascus be­ing a City near Arabia, Aretas put in there a Governour, whom the Jewes dealt with to seize upon Paul, as a man Factious, and one that would, under pretence of zeal, move sedition against Gentilisme, and so bring in Vitel­lius, Governour of Syria, sent by Tiberius Cesar, to revenge Herods death upon Aretas; and consequently they falsly pretended Paul would bring him into Damascus, to out Aretas of his command there; so by this means the Go­vernour of Damascus (Aretas his substitute) laid wait to apprehend Paul, and he was by the zeal of good people let out of a window in a basket, and so escaped his fury; which passage the Apostle brings in to prove how h [...] was persecuted by th [...]se of his own Religion, the Iewes, suggest­ing he aimed to destroy Gentilsme, the Religion of Aretas.

Chap. 1 [...]. ver. 1. Now he enters into a pretended vain-glory about his Visions and Revelations of our Lord, which he seemes to say, he must doe, though it be not expedi­ent, to prosecute his Trope, or Figure of Ironia in flow­ting them that are made fooles by men, boasting with much less cause than he can boast, to make them wise believers of the Truth he tells them.

2, 3, 4. And lest they might think he was Rapt by the Divell, as Simon Magus had been; he sayes he was Rapt in Christ, that is, by the Spirit of God; it seemes this Rap­ture happened to him nine years after his miraculous con­version; for he writ this Epistle in the year of Christ fifty eight, which was the second of Nero's raign; so his Rap­ture happened unto him in the year of Christ forty four, which was fourteen years before his now boasting of it, (as thus provoked thereunto) whereas he was converted in the year of Christ thirty six, that is nine years before; and therefore by no vain impulse, after so long, and so modest a silence of it; so if fourteen year before he had the illu­minations of this strange Rapture, how eminent must he be now after so long a practice in that spirit of Devotion, which this Rapture must needs put him into: note, though the Apostle speaking of a spirituall truth, will not mix any naturall verity therewith, so as to determine whether he remained alive or dead in this Rapture, yet Saint Thomas disputing this question purposely to declare the naturall truth, determines him to remaine alive, because God doth not kill men, to honour them by his conversing with them: so Saint Thomas concludes his soul was in his Body, and consequently resolves that which the Apostle will not deter­mine, saying, this Rapture was when Saint Pauls Soul was in his Body, whence he was alive, though he did not know so much: But many doubt what this Third Heaven meanes, unto which the Apostle was elevated; but the common consent runs to affirm he was carryed up even to the Empyreall Heaven, the highest of all, that [Page 222] where God shews himself in his greatest glory, and con­cludes, this is called the third, not as to averr there are but three heavens in all, but as to include all, be there never so many, by the briefest way, which is by saying, three for all: Yet the common division of the heavens into Aereall, Aethereall, and Empyreall will serve literally to this Text, making the ayre the first heaven, so birds are cal­led the Inhabitants of Heaven; The second, the Aethe­reall, which includes all the voluble Orbs above us, and the Empyreall to be that of the Blessed; to which last understand the rapture of S. Paul to have been. The greatest doubt is, whether he were rapt both bodie and soul up so high, some think no, and that this rapture may bee understood to be imaginary onely, or Intellectuall, wherein he had a revelation or vision of stranger things, than were lawfull for him to speak, or then were in his power to utter, if it had been lawfull, and this they ground out of the 1. verse of this Chapter, and out of the 17. both which mention visions; yet it is much more probable, that he was really rapt both soul and bodie: First, because it was as easie for God to doe both as one; Secondly, because the Apostle doubts whether it were so or not, as we see in this second and third Verse, where he professeth not to know, which in his sense is to doubt; whereas those who have visions or revelations doe not doubt, but know they are upon earth, for all those Visi­ons, which onely make a rapture of the soul, but none of the bodie: so it is probable, as Moses went corpo­rally up to the mount Sinai, where he was rapt out of the sight of the people by interposition of a cloud snatch­ing him from their eyes, and had delivered into his cor­porall ears the words of the Law, in like manner Saint Paul, who was to be the heavenly Doctor of all nations, had corporally delivered to him such secret words, as he mentions even in Paradise to have received; and thence to bring back to earth such a Magazine of spirituall com­mands, [Page 223] as he hath filled the whole world withall, though he neither have told, nor could tell all hee heard; and therefore S. Paul after he had spoken of the third hea­ven, adds the mention of Paradise, to shew he was rapt, not onely in his understanding, but also in his will, a­bove the pitch of nature, and even into that place of hea­ven, which is therefore called Paradise, because it ra­visheth the wills of the Blessed with an infinite delight of loving, as well as of seeing and understanding God: So Divines allow in the vast Empyreall heaven a kinde of place apart, called Paradise for the variety of pleasure it affords: And hither they allow S. Paul to be rapt; yet doe they not therefore say he did see God face to face, as the blessed souls there inhabiting doe, because he was not to remain there with them; yet S. Thomas and other Divines thinke it probable he might have a transient sight thereof 2 secundae q. 175. a 5. but more probably it was not so, since to Moses was onely granted to see the back of the Angell representing God; and since 1 Tim. 6. v. 16. we read, No man ever did see God, that is to say, with corporall eyes, as here the Apostle was corporally rapt: For if of the Angel it were said in Gods name to Moses, No man shall see me and live, how much more probable is it that Paul living after this rapture, did not see God himself, though no man doubts but he might see the glory of Christ, and not unlikely heard from his own glorious mouth those secrets which he could not utter; however to render his calling or Apo­stolate undoubted, he had it conferred upon him per­sonally by our Saviour in heaven, as he upon earth did personally call the rest of his Apostles to his Ser­vice. Of this Gal. 1. v. 12. the Apostle makes men­tion saying, Christ revealed unto him the doctrine that he preached, and then most probably was this Revelation made, when he therewith revealed his glory too: and those secrets he speaks of here may be partly certain Attributes [Page 224] of the Deitie; assuredly the Ranks and Orders of An­gels and their natures, which S. Dennis seems to have drawn more particulars of from the Ap [...]stle, than him­self utters in his own enumeration of their nine Or­ders; and therefore in his celestiall Hierarchy S. Dennis (this Apostles Disciple) tells us of higher matters be­longing to the holy Angels, than ever any man else durst venture on: Lastly, we may piously believe S. Paul had told unto him by Christ in this rapture much of the course of divine providence in governing the world, espe­cially the holy Church, much of the conversions of na­tions, by himself and the rest of the Apostles, which his modesty would not permit him to boast of.

5. [...]ee how he distinguisheth himself rapt from himself in the ordinary condition of man, even as if he were not the same man, for of him that was rapt hee pro [...]esseth to glory, (still in the sense as above, not vainly) but of him that was not rapt, he boasteth not, at least not in this place, to shew how great a difference there was be­tween his rapt and not rapt condition; and therefore as of his usuall self, he boasts onely that he is infirm, name­ly, that he is lyable to affliction, and miseries which are [...]nconsistent with the state of rapt creatures, for their rap­ture exempts them from the pain of sense, and so from grief or pain, which is meant here by infirmity, as it is when our Saviour is called the man of griefes by Isaiah cap. 53, v. 3. which he explicates by adding these words, Knowing infirmity, that is to say, lyable to all torture, misery or pain.

6. We read in the Acts cap 14. v. 10. that the Lyca­onians held Paul and Barnabas for Gods: To avoid vain-glory in this, hee tells them he will not be understood above what he is, above a man lyable to all misery and persecution, which gods are exempted from; nay, lest they should thinke him an Angell, though not god, he speaks sparingly of those prerogatives of his rap­ture, [Page 225] An excellent example for them to follow, who are indeed nothing extraordinary, and not boast themselves as more than ordinary men, which yet the meanest of­ten doe.

7. Further he proceeds to tell them he fears even him­self, (as man) lyable to the titillation of vain-glory, and therefore to quell the rising of that rebellion in his own thoughts, he confounds himself by declaring how rebelli­ous he found his flesh, even after he had the honour of this high rapture; Note this rebellion of the flesh as gi­ven (that is, permitted to molest him) by God, intend­ing thence to increase his merit by his humiliation, not by the devill, who intendeth alwayes thereby to tempt and destroy, though God permitted the devill to make use, by his temptation hereupon, to bring Paul to car­nality, as he permitted him, and therefore it must not be held immodesty to take this place in the right sense, as explicating the Apostles affliction of body in this kinde, [...]o gain him the greater merit of grace and glory there­by: For thus the Fathers understand S. Paul to call the buffeting of Satan; that is, the Devils raising in him this perpetuall rebellion of his flesh against his Spirit, though his corporall labours in the vineyard of Christ were such as render'd his body little able to perform acts of lust: First, because the Apostle calls it here the sting of his flesh, though he attributes it as a true effect to its true cause, and therefore stiles it the Devils flail, beating or buffering him continually: Secondly, because hee of­ten complains of his carnall concupiscence molesting him, especially Rom. 7.13. where he sayes, it torments him as much as all his other persecutions, and to quell this, he tells us 1 Cor. 9. he doth chastise his bodie. Thirdly, be­cause there is nothing can so truly humble a true Saint­ly spirit, as this base temptation, or rebellion of the flesh can doe, which pulls men into the puddle of corrupti­on, as envying their happiness by rising up to the Para­dise [Page 226] of immortality and glory. Fourthly because these temptations doe not properly hurt pure soules, but one­ly dminister matter of their better advantaging them­selvas, by shewing the power that a soule well ordered hatheto subdue all rebellion of the body, lastly

8. By the Apostles professing he did three times pray to be delivered from this molestation: for as by the number of three we heard before is included all number, so by the trine repetition of prayer to this effect, we conceive he meanes his alwaies praying to be eased of it, and was an­swered it should not hurt him, being (as he was) support­ed by the grace of God against it; God dealing with Paul in this, as Physitians do with patients, calling to take off tormenting plaisters from them; that is, not re­guarding their call to this purpose, as knowing the paine that troubles them, will be the cure of their disease, against which the painful plaister was applied; so was this of carnall concupiscence against the spirituall pride S. Paul might else have been transported with, had not this humbling trouble kept him free from so dangerous a sinne as pride and vaine-glory.

9. And that this was the true reason, see what fol­lowes, the more infirme man is, the more power God shewes by his grace, killing sinne in man: by this power is understood, his virtue overcoming the Apostles infir­mity, as importing carnall intemperance; for these were the words of Christ denying Pauls request to be eased of his corporall infirmity, his carnall temptation; saying to him, that as his Grace sufficeth for a remedy against all such temptations, so his Virtue, (which in it selfe was alwaies perfect) did appeare in us to be per­fected, when it had power to cure our like infirmities; that is, so to qualify them, as though they remained in our bodies, they should not hurt our soules: but still the resisting soule should grow better, however the suffering body seemed to grow worse by the perpetuall combate. [Page 227] Note diverse do diversly expound this place, some say it is also verified, when any other heroick Acts of virtue are produced by weak men, as well as those of Temperance, Continence, Chastity; others, when being conscious of our own infirmity, we render the glory of all we doe to God: others, that the true subject, whereon virtue workes, is weaknesse to corrobotate what is infirme; others, that experience of often harme by such and such things makes weak men strong, and able to refraine from what hurts them, and so to make weaknesse the perfecter of their fortitude: lastly S. Hierome to Ci [...]sephontes saies, this is the onely perfection of the present life, that thou acknowledge thy self imperfect; wherefore S Paul concludes, that he willingly and joyfully gloryes in his infirmities, as in with­drawing roomes, to the virtue of Christ, which delights to be and dwell where infirmity is, as the Apostle here tels us.

10. And in the next verse of this Chapter, he tells us he meanes by infirmity, (pleasing himself as he saies in his infirmities▪ contumelies, necessities, persecutions and distres­ses for Christ, concluding, that when (in any of these kinds) he is weak, then he is mighty, meaning whe [...] weak in body, he is strong in mind or virtue; when weak in man, he is mighty in Christ; for whose sake he glories, and plea­seth himselfe to become weake: and if we will take S. Bernards opinion, by the virtue which was perfected in infirmi y, he will tell us it was humility, and that this was the speciall virtue Christ recommended to his Apo­stles, saying, learn of me, because I am meek and hum­ble of heart Matth. 11. vers. 29. So indeed the Apostle ends his boasting Chapter with his chiefest glory in his in­firmity, in his humility, and conceives he shall best quell the pride [...]f his Antagonists (the false Apostles) by lea­ving them to vaunt in flesh and bloud, in their greatness: while he glories in his pressures, in his imprisonments, in his whippings, in his carnall temptations, as having [Page 228] overcome all these by the virtue of Christ, that is, by humility in stooping patiently to the pressure of all these.

The Explication.

1. IN these three fi [...] verses the Apostle tells us, charitie is the top and crown of all gifts and vertues, insomuch [...]t without it no other vertue profits us at all; which [...]. Paul dilates upon in all this Chapter, because he found the Corinthians apt to flatter themselves, that [Page 244] the gift of tongues; was the greatest of all other gifts: And in having that, they boasted of equall favour and grace even with the Apostles, whereas he ended the twelfth Chapter of this Epistle with these words, pursue the better gifts, and yet I shew pou a more excellent way; by the better gifts he means the Apostolate, wisedome, science, counsel, discretion of spirits, miracles, prophesie, and the like; by the more excellent way, he means this of charity transcending all the rest; and to shew he meant it was particularly surpassing their so much boasted gift of tongues, he begins first to beat that er­rour down saying, If I speak with tongues of men and Angels, &c. and have not charitty, all is nothing worth. But by the tongues of men, he alludes both to the learned tongues as Hebrew, Greek, Latine, which were ever held kinde of roots to all others, as also to those all tongues, or severall Languages, which by the gift of the Holy Ghost many men and women (even the most ignorant amongst both sexes) had bestowed upon them: and in particular that naturall gift of tongue, which many men had in such perfection, that by their eloquence and fa­cundity of speech, they were able to ravish their Audito­rie, and perswade them into any abominable errour, schism or heresie whatsoever, as we heard S. Paul professe the false Apostles did, when they made him Apologize for his defect of their Eloquence. See what was said upon last Sundayes Epistle, v 19, 20, 21. to this effect: All these wayes therefore he here takes the tongues of men, and sayes, if he were the most excellent in them, yet without charity all were nothing worth: Now for the tongues of Angels what he means o [...] those tongueless crea­tures language or eloquence, it is not easie to express, yet we may conceive his meaning is, if Angels should take up­on them the shapes of men, and vouchsafe to speak unto us as men doe, certainly they were able to exceed in eloquence the best of humane Oratours that ever were, as [Page 245] much as well spoken men exceed the dumbe, who have no tongues but signs to speak withall: So when he sayes, if he should speak with the more ravishing tongues of Angels, than any can be of men, and yet wanted cha­rity it were to no purpose. But why may we not allow S. Paul here to allude unto the Angelicall tongues in­deed, which he alone of all the Apostles was acquain­ted with in his Rapture to the the third heaven, and in which tongues h [...] [...]eard those Arcana's, those secrets which it was not lawfull for man to speak; but then we come here into the Labyrinth of expressing what tongues those Elinguine spirits use, who as immateriall creatures can­not be fram'd of any composition of Integral parts, such as are head, tongue, teeth, mouth, face, or the like materiall and corporall members; how then can the Apostle speak of an excellency in the faculty of speech, in those that doe not speak at all, because they have no tongues, which are the Instruments of speech, he must therefore mean that the tongues of Angels are their mutuall Illuminations, and that if he could so excellently well expresse his minde in words to the Corinthians, as Angels doe to one another by Illu­mination, yet if he had not charity, he were but like to harsh sounding brass, or the empty noise of a tinkling Cymbal, nei­ther keeping time, nor speaking any tune, which is as much as to say, if he could tell them all the secrets he heard in hea­ven, and shew them by clarity and eloquence of speech, as cleer as illumination, even the best of objects God himself, and make them understand (if possible) the reason of the Trinity, yet unless they did love the goodness understood they were not yet happy, because the best of knowledg in this world is by understanding, and all that speech can make us understand, will not render us happy, unless we love the thing understood: Now love being an act of the will, must have for motive goodness in the thing beloved, as well as verity, and consequently though words or speech may make us know the verity of things here, yet it is love must make [Page 246] us adhere unto the goodness thereof; so the Apostle demon­strates all speech and all knowledge acquired thereby is fruitless, unlesse by Love or Charity to God and our neigh­bour, our wills be rendered as perfect, as our understand­ings are by knowledge: In a word he would say, be it man or Angel, he talkes in vain of God, that loves him not.

2. In this verse the Apostle shewes the gift of Pro­phesie to be greater than that of Tongues, for he proceeds from lesse to greater still: besides in the four first verses of the next Chapter, to this the Apostle tells the Corin­thians in plain tearmes, what here he inferres onely by eduction of more from lesser force of reason, as 1 Cor. 14. vers. 1. Follow Charity, pursue spirituall things, but rather that you may prophesie. Vers. 2. For he that speaketh with tongues, speaketh not to men (intel­ligibly) but to God, for no man, (that hath not that gift of tongues) heareth (understandeth) but in spirit he speaketh mysteries. Vers. 3. For he that prophesieth, speak­eth unto men to edification, and exhortation and comfort. Vers. 4. He that speaketh with tongues edifieth himself, but he that prophesieth, edifieth the Church. What more plaine for Prophesie: the like he concludeth for science and Faith, which he adds here as joyntly with Prophesie transcending the gift of tongues, though by faith some contend he meanes onely faith to remove mountaines, or such as is peculiar to working miracles, as if, though that could be without Charity, yet justifying Faith could not, but without reason this; First, because Faith to Mi­racles, is the most excellent of all other; Secondly, be­cause to take away that doubt, the Text here saith all Faith, and all must needs include both justifying Faith, and that which men may have without being just: but in such case, ‘ S Augustine tells us, Lib. 5. de Trin. Cap. 18. Faith according to the Apostles may be without Chari­ty, but it cannot be profitable without it; for, saith he, Charity alone, is that which distinguisheth between the [Page 247] children of God, and the children of the devill, the sonnes of the Kingdome, and the sonnes of perdition.’ Now while the Apostle saith, Faith, even to miracles, without Charity, makes us nothing in the sight of God, how can hereticks pretend Faith alone shall save them? for sure the blessed soules are something in Gods sight, and yet by onely Faith they are nothing saies the Apostle, or which is all one, they are of no esteeme, or esteem­ed as nothing at all, not but that they are things in being, yet so, as being without esteem, renders them in a manner nothing in the sight of God.

3. Nay so serious is S. Paul in this assertion, that he tells us, if for any other end than purely for the love of God, we should give away our whole estates, indeed our lives, and be martyrs for the Faith without loving God, yet this would nothing at all availe us, unlesse we had Charity to make proficuous, to render profitable our martyrdome for the Faith of Christ, since formally there can be no Faith without Charity, though materi­ally there may: whence we see, that beside; Faith, Cha­rity is necessary to salvation, insomuch that if a Turke or Heathen should be so perswaded of the verity of Christs being the Sonne of God, and should be contented to die rather than to recede from professing his beliefe in that, and all other points of Christian beliefe, yet unlesse withall he had perfect Charity, that is, unlesse he did love God above all, and his neighbour as himself, he should never be saved, nor be esteemed a formall martyr, but a vaine and foolish prodigall of his life to no purpose, I say God and his neighbour too, because to die believe­ing and loving God without loving our neighbour, were not enough of Charity to gaine a man the title or crowne of martyrdome; ‘Because things are good by the in­tegrity of their cause, bad by the least defect of such integrity.’

4. In these four next verses, S. Paul enumerates the [Page 248] sixteen conditions of perfect Charity to our neighbour: [...]ut whereas he calls Charity, Patient, and Benigne, we must note, he doth not meane it is formally so, but abusively, that is, Charity is the cause of Patience, Benignity, and the like, or which is much one, Pati­ence is not an elicite act of Charity, but an act (as Scholes say) commanded by Charity; Though Tertul­lian gives this Encomiastick to Patience, that it is the inseparable companion, and as it were governesse of all other virtues, in as much, as the longanimity (or con­stancie of mind in alwaies doing good) makes a man pa­tiently to indure the labour of well doing, and the op­position which that labour is many times obstructed with­all; and for the like reason, Charity is benigne, because as it gives us fortitude to resist impediments in our way to do well, so it gives us mildnesse, affability and sweetnes towards the persons who oppose our doing well. Againe Charity is not aemulous, or envying at other mens good, as if what did goe to another, went from us: No, she looks not upon any thing as mine and thine, but upon all as Gods: In­somuch that Saint Gregorie i [...] his fifth Homily upon the Gospels, sayes elegantly and excellently well, Whatsoever we covet in this world, we envy our Neighbours having that. Hence it is, that Charity chils, while Covetousnesse doth grow warm, and contrarywise where Charity reigneth, there covetousnesse is exiled from the Court: moreover Charity dealeth not perversely or peevishly with any body, because such a proceeding would destroy both her patience and benignity above asserted.

5. It is not without reason the Expositors have diversly interpreted this place, some saying, not to be ambitious imports not to be immodest, others not to be sordid, but what seemes perhaps least, and yet is most proper; others say it signifies not to be bashful, or rather indeed not to be shamed, and upon the matter all these are one and the same; for shame is here taken as a blush of guilt, not [Page 249] of grace, as who should say, for any man immodestly to arrogate unto himself honour and esteeme, when no man can deserve the title of true honour, or for any man to be so sordid, as to take delight in earthly things, is to conclude himself guilty of so much basenesse, as (when discovered) betrayes it self with a blush of shame and confusion: as contrariwise for any man being contem­ned, reviled or scorned by others to blush or be asham­ed at the disgrace thereof, argues he thinks himself in­jured or undervalued, which is a token of huge pride, of high ambition in him, whereas true Charity would teach him to glory, rather than otherwise in such occasions, that he were held worthy to take off part of that indig­nity was layd upon our Saviour, which was indeed due to sinfull man, that instead of confessing his demerits, glories, as if all respect, esteem, and honour were due to him, which is high ambition, and a thing contrary to Charity: and for the same reason the Apostle tels us, as we must not be ambitious of more than is our due, so true Charity forbids us even to seek our owne, telling us we have no title of property to any thing at all but our sinnes, which are the onely things we can lay clayme unto as owners of: hence he adds, Charity is never provoked to anger, because anger argues an apprehension of an in­jury received, and those who are truly, Charitable ought to esteem themselves the most contemptible things in nature, capable of nothing but neglect from others, as a condigne punishment for the continuall neglect of their own duty to God: whereunto if we can happily arrive, then will follow, that which the Apostle concludes this verse withall, of Charity never thinking ill, for if she never be angry, probably she never thinks of revenge, be­cause she never esteemes her self hurt by any body but her self, as believing she is rather in fault to deserve injury, than that any body else can do her wrong; where note what is here said of Charity, is meant of the person who is truely Charitable.

[Page 250]6. As it is an evident signe of ill will or hatred in us to another, when we rejoyce to see him injured (which must needs include some third mans iniquity exercised on him) and so to rejoyce at the injury done is to be par­taker of the delight w ^h the third party takes in his iniquity, or doing ill: in like manner it is a token of good will or true Charity not to rejoyce in such iniquity, for contra­ries are ever best descerned by juxta-position or being set together: and wehn the Apostle saies, Charity rejoyceth in Truth, he meanes by Truth in this place, probity, goodnesse, justice, as the opposites to injury, which as it must not be rejoyced at, so the contrary virtue to that vice ought to be a cause of our Joyes.

7. See how Charity here makes her self an arched bridge for all men to trample over, how she crys out to all men lay your loades on me, it is onely I that am the pack­horse of malice, my duty is to bear away the burden of sinne from mount Calvary, where all the load was laid on Jesus, come beloved, bring away from thence apace your burdens, heap them on my arched shoulders, who am made for no other end than pressure, and to be op­prest. As you can do your selves no greater pleasure than to lighten your own burdens, so you can no wayes oblige me more, than to adde plummets to my weights: for as a Palme tree deprest, I grow the better, do what you please to me, I believe you mean me no hurt, because I know you can doe me none, if I doe it not unto my self; therefore doubt not of my misconstruing your actions, I will believe the best of them, (such as are not apparent sinnes) as of your angers, I will hold my self the cause: I will think your punishing of me, is your particular care towards me, your fatherly chastizing my undutifull be­haviour both to my God and you: and thus Charity be­lieves all in the Apostles sence: whence consequently she hopeth all in the same sence, that is, her own amend­ment upon the just chastizement she received from others, [Page 251] who she perswades her self were Gods Ministers of Justice to change her eternall punishment due unto her into tem­porall pennances imposed upon her by Gods Vice-ge­rents; and in this hope she grounds her bearing all things patiently here, will bring her to a crown of glory in the next world: For if she stands thus perswaded, she can­not think she beares to much here, and so the Apostle saith, she beareth all things, wherewith he ends the six­teen conditions, as above expressed, requisite to per­fect Charity.

8. From hence he proceeds to the end of this Chapter, declaring the excellency of Charity in it self, as more durable than all other virtues, even than the other two Theologicall, since Faith in heaven shall cease and be changed into vision, (inconsistent with the obscurity of Faith) and hope shall vanish, as exchanged for fruition (incompatible with hope) which being a desire of having, must needs vanish, when all is had that can be wisht or desired. And hence it is, that hereticks ground ill their heresie, saying a man once in grace (that is in perfect cha­rity) can never sinne, because here the Apostle saith, Charity never failes; but the true meaning of this sen­tence is, Charity of her selfe never failes, however by sinne she may be here extinguished: or (which is equi­valent) Charity is never wearied, never tyred, never exhausted by doing good to others, even to our enemies, whereas Faith is often sha [...]en and lost, Hope is many times lessened and quite gone, when we see our expecta­tions faile us: what the Apostle saith here of prophesies failing, is to be understood, that they faile, not as de­fective in revealing truth, but as not rightly understood by those to whom they do reveal the same, through the defect of our capacity to hard and abstruse points. Note the possible failing of tongues is here on purpose expressed in the plurall number, as alluding to the cessation of the gift of many tongues, which even now is ceased, and was [Page 252] so long since, not that the power in God of giving such gifts again is lost, but that there is not the like necessity thereof as in the primitive Church; but we may observe, he doth not say, the Tongue shall possibly cease, but Tongues, or the plurality thereof; for it is a common opinion amongst Divines, that all men in heaven, as they have their bodies there; so they shall have the use of their tongues, and speak to one another, but so, as they shall all speak one, and that the Hebrew tongue, (the most perfect expresser of the mind, and that which Adam spake in the state of innocency, and all the Antient Patriarks, before the destruction of Babylon confounded the Tongues, and likewise the Prophets) singing, as in the Apocalyps, Amen, Allelujah. Though some think it not improbable, they shall, rather than want the use of speech, have a new lan­guage created common to them all, and more perfect yet than Hebrew: For thus all shall cease that ever were in use, and yet another never used may be made without contra­diction to this text; not that the Blessed shall want in hea­ven the gift of Tongues, if they please, but that as they are there all of one mind, so they shall choose rather to speak all one tongue, than to use many, which multiplicity argues ra­ther an imperfection than otherwise, though here it were a Blessing necessary to our imperfect state: by Science be­ing destroyed in heaven, some will have the acts thereof destroyed onely, and the habits remain, yet to no purpose this, for in vain is that habit, faculty, or power, which never shall be reduced to act; hence we must rather say, Science, as it is imperfect here, shall be destroyed by a change into perfect Science there, yet even this is rather preservation by addition, than destruction by subs [...]action. Let us therefore say yet further, Science shall be destroyed, as it imports here teaching and learning, which there shall cease, since no man can teach, nor no man learn in heaven any new Science. To conclude, let us grant a totall cessation of Science, as the best of Sciences, [Page 253] namely, Divinity, grounded on points of Faith, dedu­ced here partly out of naturall reason, partly out of re­velations, nay, even Faith it self, the Mistresse of Divi­nity; and yet we shall doe no wrong to the Blessed, be­cause intuition is better than cognition, clarity of know­ledge is more excellent than obscurity; in a word, vision is the best of demonstrations, and therefore Science be­ing nothing but a rationall exhibition of the object, shall suffer no prejudice by ceasing, when the object is there more clearly seen with the eye, than it could be discerned by the understanding here, but the truth is, the cessation of prophesie, tongues, and knowledge, or science, is not here absolutely asserted, but supposed onely, to prove their cessation would not yet take away charity.

9. See how this Verse cleers the former in the latter sense thereof; here we onely know in part, so there this partiall knowledge ceasing, our Science may be said to cease; as also our prophesie, which though it be a revelation of truth, yet it is not a revelation of all truth, which in heaven shall be revealed, and so take away all divi­sions of truth by an unity or integrity of all truths in one.

10. See how still the succeeding verse in termes a­vowes the explication of the precedent, when perfect intuition comes, then imperfest exhibition shall cease, when God in his owne, and sole perfect selfe shall ap­pear, then creatures, who shew him onely in part, shall need no more to make their imperfect exhibitions of him; or when we see the creature perfectly in God, then the imperfection we did see of them in themselves shall cease.

11. In this verse he illustrates by a similitude of a child or little one in respect of a man, what he said in the for­mer, and makes the Science, Prophesie, or perfection we have here to be (in respect of what we shall have in hea­ven) [Page 254] like the meer sensible knowledge in a child to his intellectuall and rationall science, when he is a man, which is as much as to say, most of all our science here, is but as knowledge of sense, and not indeed intellectuall, be­cause not grounded in certitude of principles, but in apparences onely of truths and causes, which, though they doe not, yet for any thing we know, they may fail us, even when we thinke our selves most certain of truth therein.

12. Some will have S. Paul to allow cleer Intuition of God here, by his confessing we see him at least in a glass, because glasses doe represent the reall things, and not the pictures onely thereof; which is true, but withall they represent the things in a reflected, not in a direct line, and hence we see nothing so perfectly in a glass, as when we look directly on the object it self: Again, hence we never see nor know so much of our selves, as we doe of others, because we see not our own shapes so directly in a glass, as wee doe others out of it, by looking on their persons directly: Others understand S. Paul to mean by a glass here, our seeing God in a confused way, as Mercers shew a multitude of ware together, to distract the eye of the buyer, or as if they were shown by false lights, giving them other lustre than indeed they have, or as things shewn in a transient way to cheat the eie, rather than to satisfie it; all which is to see God wrapt up in Riddles of knowledge, not in the reality thereof: Now if we ask what glasse it is wee here see God by; say, either the creature representing him, or the fancie apprehending him, or Christ his humanitie best of all expressing his goodness, yet infinitely short thereof; or as some will have it in the Sacraments, which are visible signs of invisible things of grace, and of God the Au­thour thereof. By seeing God face to face some conceive it shall onely be when we see Christ in heaven, and through his glorious face behold with our corporall eyes his sa­cred [Page 255] Deity, grounded in the words of Theodoret faying, Wee shall not see his nature (meaning his Deitie) which falls not within the compass of our corporall eyes, and so can bee seen by none, but that nature onely which hee assumed (mean­ing humane nature) but Theodoret thus understood would be made the Author of a huge errour, as denying us the happinesse of the Beatificall vision, which doth not, nay, cannot consist onely in seeing Christs humani­ty face to face, because that humanity is but a creature; his meaning therefore must be, that with our corporall eyes, we can onely see the Deity as tralucent, and shining through the face of Christ, or through his humane na­ture; but yet with our souls eyes, that is, with her fa­culties of understanding, we see even the sacred Deitie, and with our wills we love him as the beginning and end of all our hopes, as our chief and infinite goodness; and when the Apostle sayes he shall know God in heaven, as he is there known by God, his meaning is, onely that we shall see God perfectly. and not in part onely, as he doth know us perfectly, by knowing the integrity of all the causes concurring to our making, and the infallibility of all the effects of our each operation or motion; not that therefore our knowledge of God shall be equally perfect with his of us, for such knowledge would argue identity, and not onely similitude of knowledge, whereas here there is no identicall, but onely a similitudinary knowledge asserted.

13. We must note, that Iraeneus, Tertullian, and others, understood by the word now, that the Apostle meant now that we are in this perfect knowledge, that is, in heaven, Faith, Hope, Charity shall remain; but this were to con­tradict all that hath been said before of Faith ceasing, when vision comes; of hope decaying, when Fruition af­fords all that can be hoped for▪ so those Fathers must be explicated to mean by faith, all firm, assured and undoubt­ed science, such as onely consisted in vision, and by hope, [Page 256] all incessant adhesion to the infinite goodness of God a­bove all things else beloved, which adhesion they called fruition: and yet though this qualifie their sense to bee neerer the Apostles than an asserting that faith and hope re­main in heaven formally as charity doth, yet this comes short of S. Pauls meaning by the word now, in this life, not in heaven: for his main scope was to prove to the Corinthians, that charity was the chief of all other ver­tues; faith, hope, and charity, but the chiefest and great­est of these is charity, and not so much boasted gift of tongues, and therefore as to them he sayes, Now there are three Theologicall vertues, faith, hope, and charitie, but the greatest of these is charity; not your vain faith, which is not acquainted with love, nor your idle hope, which fixeth your expectation of help from creatures, nay though your faith be pure, and your hope in God alone, yet charity is greater than these vertues, and shall remain in heaven, when the other two Theological vertues cease, how­ever now they are all three together here, the most excellent indeed of all other gifts or vertues, however you esteem more that of tongues, which I see you prefer fondly before any other gifts of God. To conclude, the Apostle re­solves charity to bee above all other vertues, as the fire is the chief of Elements, gold the principall of metals, the Sun the best of Planets, the Empyreal the highest of hea­vens, and the Seraphins the top-gallant of Angels, so is charity the chief, the principal, the best, the highest, and the most gallant of all vertues whatsoever.