.AOmmentarie 'Vpon Chap. I. Hmcclgather, that our nature is full of re· A bdlion, and enmiti~ againll God; bccaufe they which pleafe men, cannot pleafe God. Agaioe,here is fet downc: what is the hurc that comes by pride and ambition. It kcepes men that they cannot bee the feruants of Chrill. Yeb<i""' nor (fauh Chrill)b.c•u(<;efeekt glo– rle~neo/4ntJtl1lr, lohn 5·44· Arubitionfo fiJs th~ n)inde with vanmc, and the heart with worldly defiret, that it cannot thin~e or de– lire to plcafe God. Wherefore he that would bee a faithful! Miniller of the Gofpell, mull den1e the pr~deof his hcarr, and beeemptied of OJllbiuon, and fer himfelfe wholly rofeekc the glone ofGod in his calling. And gene· rally,hee char would bee afaithlull feruant of ~ Clmlt, mull fer Go:J before him a• a Judge, and conlider that he bath to dealc •·ith God: an{h• mu(! turne hiS minde, and fcufesfrom thewo•ld,and all thingstherein, to God: and fcek.;tboucal thingsto approue his 1 t·houghis, · de(ires, atfetl,ivn:s, and all his doings vnto him. LaUly,rhe profcllion ofthe feruant ofGod, is here to beobferued in theexampleof P••l, whofairh, Doe 1nowpreach men?"and, doe Iy(1 ple.fe"''"?as if he had faid, I hauc done thus and thus, I hauc preached theTraditions of tllCO heretofore, and I haue pleafed men in perfecuting the Church of God: but I doe notfo C!ill,peither ,.,jj I. And he that can fay the ltke wirh good confcience, I haue finned . !hus and rhus he.retofore, but now I doe not, C n~1ther will! Cinne as Ihauedone, isindeede ~~~fet uanrof God. \'.11. Now I c.ertifie you, hretlretJ, ti1At the (]ofie/1 which ,,u pre.cbed bJ me, w.uno/ •fw l?JIItl, The meaning is chill that it may the better appeare, that I ha<>e iuU!y accurfed them which teach any orherGofpel, and iuClly re– prooued you for receming tt: I giue you to vnderaand,thatthe GofPtlwhich Ipreachtd JPIIJ not A{itrman, that is, notdcui(ed byman, or preached oi me by mans authoritie,butit was from God, and preached by theauthoritie of God. And this fenfe app~ares by vcrfc 1 o, D and 1 z. In thefe words is laid downe the reafon of lhecondu(ion,or ihe alfumption of theprin· cipall argument, which was on this manner. If I becalled 10 teach, and rhat immediately ofGod,& my·doClrinc betrue,then ye ought not to haue reuolred from the Gofpelwh1ch I preached: but I was caHed to teach imme-• · diately ofGod,and my dodrine is true. The firI! part ofthis alfumption is here fct downe, and bodied to the endeof rhe fecond chap· ter: and the conclulion (as we haue heard)was I [et dmme in the premifcs. Hence two mainc: pointsof.doCI:rine th:tt -.re.of great ccnfcqucnt, may bee garhcr.d. .JThe fitlhsthis: It~ sa thing mo(l necetfarie, jtl:at men 010uld beatTurcd aod certified, rh•t th~ doelrine of the Gofpell, and the Sctip– cureisnotofman, but of Gad, Thisis the. firllthing which P••l flanda\<pan in thiac£. , pt(l!e, It may, be demaund~d,how thiaalfu> i ranee may beeobtained. I aofwer thus<JFdr the fctling of our confciem!es, that Scripl 1 cure •• the word.of God, thl:r.eqe two tttti• monies. One is the Euidenccof,.GodsSjlititl tmprinred and•cxprelfed in' thc Scriptul'lisi and this is anucellencie of theword ofGad · abouc all wor'ds,and wr.itiilgs:ofmenandiAtl: geh:•nd contain.es rhirteeoe.points.The4irtl is,the puritieof rhe law of>IIW•fu, wherea·; rhe!awesof meil, haue tbcir impeofedionsl 'f.he fecon? is; that the Scripturefcts dol)'ne the true caufc ofall mtfer.y;namely lionc)'and the perfeel remedy, namelr,Cbrifls death. Therh~rdis>rhcAnriquitf of Scripturd; m rhat it forrcrlrldowne an hilloric.from the be– ginning ofd1ewor!d. Thcfourrhis,prophe,· ctes of thingsiilfundriebo'okesof ScriptUre, whtch none could pollibly.fore.tell,bur God. · The fifth is,the confirmation of the doClrine, of the Proph«s and Apollles by miracles, that is, workes done aboue, and conuarieto the Urengtlt.of nature, which none can doe but God. TheCLxth is, the confeotof:rlhhe, Scnptures with tharufclues,wherc,asthe wri~ rings of men are often at iarre wi'i:h dlem– felues, The feaucmh is,the confellion ofeoe– ilues ;as narncly,of hcntickes,who inoppug– ningof Scripr.ures, allcadgc Scriptures, and1 thereby confclfe the truth therot.The eighth. is, an vnfpeakable d<teftation chat Sathani and aH wicked men beare I" ,the dochine-llf Scripture. 'Ihcninth is,..eheprote.Sion-.nd' prcf~ruarion of it, from r.he beginning to thiS, hour.,by afpecia/C prouidenceof God, .The: tenth is, the connanrccofcffion ofMartyrs. rhar haue fi,e~de their blood for the Gofpell of Chri(l. The deauenth is, that fear.efu!Jo puniChments and iudgernents haue befallen them, that haue oppugned the wordof God. The twelfth is, the holines of them that pro– felfethcGofpell. The Jail is, theeffeel and operation of the word: for it is an in(iru· mentofGod,in.the rightvfe whereof, wee receiuethe re(limonieof the Spirit, ofour a. doption, and are conuerted vnto Ggd, And yet neuerthdelfe , the word which conuer· tcth, is contraric to the wtckcd 11ature of man. Thefecond reflimonie is, from the Pro• phersand Apollles, who wereErubalfadours of God, extraordinarily to repr<f<nt hiS au.. thortrie vnto bis Church, and the pen·men of the holy GhoU, rofcrdowne thetrue and proper word of God. And the Apo(!Jes •· boue the refi, were cyc-witneffes,.and care– witnelfes, of the fayings &doings of ChriU: and in rha! they were guided by the infalli· ble affi(lan<eofrhe Spirit,both in preaching, and writing, their Teftimonie touching the thiHgs wh1ch rhey wrote, mu(! needes bea~· rhenticaii.If it be {aid, rhat counrerfett Wtl· rings,
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