I 1 I I r I ---- ----------··-~--------L-· --. rU1 Commentarie vpon ~,';::.'; \ ' N thcfc words, th< 1\mhor of thi< Epi!llc A lproccCdcs to th~ founh o1·der of Exampi(!S offaith, coiltaincd in this Choptcr; whcrcia (:.s in the fon1tcr latlly lta'11dlcd)hcproceeds brief– ly, h~apingvp in iC~t\' words, many ..,,·onhy ex– amplesof tJ.ith, <:once:1ling the n.:unes of the panics, :md oncly fCning do..,Ync tho!C thinss fo r whkh thc>r f~tith is commendcd vmo vs. .1\nd thi~ f~)Urth -a1H.ila!t ~rdcr of e"':~mples, (O!llprchrndcoh r~1ch beic~t;Cr!. 3.S Jiucd ViHJer the regiment of th~ ;J1accbflhec.t, .& ~f1crwatd t(') tht: (O:nming of Chrill. For,of bcleeucrs in fo,nncr times, ic c:~nnot Uc vnderllood, be(aufc there is a m~oifcll diflinCbon put bctwccnc i thcfc bd:<.:uers, ant! tll'.: former ludges, Kinp, 1 ::mJ P>'O}>hcts; in thcfc \Yo;·ds , others a!fo : . 1 whereby it is pl:linc, th3t here he propoundcs I B ; examples of bclceucr~ different hom tho(e ! which hce mentioned before. And it is alfo r ~~lalnc, th:'lt the[c bdceuers liued before the comn1ing of Chrifi. For howiocuer the Chri.. fiians in the Pri~nttiue Chuah, were racked, fcoLirgcd, and tormcmed after this fort; yet of them thispll(C t:annot be vnderlh~oc.l, bccaufe they enioycd the pnm:,fi: ofrhe M1fi.tJ: but, rhc:fChere :nentioncd , cnieyednor lhttt promift h tJgir dtf)'C.r, bm \\'aitcd for it by f:1irh, and t~creindicd, v.3 9.Andindcc.~le. in the time df thc M:.1ccabccs, the cl~1;rch of the !ewes was · wor:dcrfiilly. pc:fecurcd by A11tifJChtu, about / t\'16 hundred ye~rcs before Chrill,as wee may fCc, 2. Macch.4. ::md 6. Ch:1.prcrs. I 0!.:JI. Where had the Aur~or of this Epi- C fik this large narration of thele Hrange perfe– cmions, fecing they arc not regifircd in the bookes of the old Tcfbmcm? At~[. Vice may iudgc, that he gathered it out of the Storic.:s and Records of men: which (how{ocurthcy be not now cxtsnt) yet in his d:'lyes in the Primitiuc Church. were extaftr,. I li.tlowne, ZIJd ::pprooucd. Neither mull: this (e<.·mc Hrangc vmo vs: for the fpirit of God, in the oldc Tcthmcm fjlcaking of men, hath of– \ tentimcs reference and relation therein ro hu... knowne in ·t-h-ol-e-timcs·~--b-u-t-it-is-,-n-orrprob::~ -..:_:.c~·~ j blc, th:lt the ApofHcs had them out of iOmc lcvvifh wriccrs,or records then t·xr:mr, and :.p- \ I prooucd a1n~ng.the Icwes. So Paul, preach- ! mg to the Atnclllans,alleadgeth the [;wing of I A:r.:ttm an Atllcnian Poet: For, we are hiJ gcr.c- .'\& 1 ;. 1 &. rtttimt, And to the Corinthians, he propom1- 1 deeh afcntcncc of Jden.mdcr; Eui/! rrords cGr- j ruprgood1tM1Jn8rs, t. ~or. 15. And coTt'!us, he allcadgcth Epimenides,a Crctian poet; TheC;·e- 1 tia;:s .-ercrJ/waie.tlie)·J, C':!i!lbeajh,jlow be!ftes,1'it. \ I. 12, ; Now whrreas the fpirit ofGod taketh theft . fcntcnccs out of the ""'ritings ofmen, we may ; lean,c, that to reade the writings ofmen h not vnlawfull, but athi'ng of goodvfc to the fcr– uams of God. But whereas fomc would hfncc proouc, that their authoritie may be: al!cadoed ordinarily at cuerie mans plcafurc in the p~blikc rninifteric, it h:.tth no ground in thefc pl~cc.), Forfirfl:, the Apofiles were: fo guiflcd by the holy Gho!l in their publike Minifleric, that they could nqt crre: but no Minifiers at this rlay haue fUc~ :1 priuilcdge. Secondly, the ! Apollles, alleadgmg or recording the fayings ; ofmen in their Sermons or writings, did thcr- j by fanCHfic them, and rn~kc them ro become a , part of bol)r Stripture.This,no ordinary Mini– ficrcan doe: bur let himallcadgc a humanctc– flimonic tenne thoufand rimes ,yet fiiH it re.. maines humane,and is not Gods word. Third– ly,thc)rrhat wouldwarrant theirpraClife,in al– leadging humane tdlimonicsin their fermon5, by the Apollles, oughrro follow the.Apollles in their manner ofallegations. Now,rhe Apo– flles were fo fparing hcrin,that in mwy hQoks we fuall not findc one: for, there are onely three~ in all the newTe!hmcnt. Againe, the Apo!Hes did it withour ollenration : for, the names of the Authors arc concealed, whence they tookc their tcllimonies. mane writings: :JS this phrafc (Then:/} of rh~ llE!.t offoch ar.dfitch ,ttrc they not writteninsh~ 6ooJ:ts ~f the Chronicles of tl~e King.< of fr<– dah and lfiwl) fo often vied in the booke> of Ki1,gs· :md Chronicles, cloth cuidcntly de– And lallly, the ApolH<S did it vpon wcigh– ticcau'fcandiull:occa(ion; towit, when they werepcrfwadcd in confcicncc, that thofe tdli... monies would conuincc the confciences of 1 1 their hearers in thofc things for which they a!– lc:J.dged them. Now, how farre many differ frO D the Apo!llcs in their allegations, let the world iudge. ! clare. Now, thofe htJol:..J tJ{ the Chro11iclu,were not parcels ofholy Scripture, hut ciuill or Ecclcli– .:ltlicall Stories , like to our bcokcs of Martyrs and Chronides. 2.Tim.;.8. S. PaK! [zit h, lrm– n•J and !.1.mbru uftfrcd fl1/)[CJ. Now, in the bookc of E>.·odfts, we fl1:tll not finde the Sorce– rers that withll:ood ]v!ofes, once P:J.mcd. And I S.lt1dc m::~keth mer~tion ofop-,.phccie ~fEnoch, v.r4. wl1ich in :111 the old Tdlamcm IS not rc– 'orded; anQ it is like, th:lt Mofes was the fidl: I pcnne.m:m of holy Scripture, \OVhence then l:~d thc(c Apo!Urs die·fe things? .Ar.fiv. No doubr , the holy Cho!l might reueale fuch ·thint;s vmo them, though thev had beene vn.. I ... --- ---· . Yet before we cometo lpeakc of the le tx– amplcs of faith in part:icubr, there arc fundric generail points to be handled. In the three for– mer vcrfcs, the fpirir of God hath fer downc rhe profpcrous fuccdfe of belecuers through fai:h: But here he comes to acquaint vs with a diffcrcntcll:atc oforhCr bc\ecuers, \'nder gric– uous pcrfccutions and tormems, cu~n vnto moHcrucll and bitter kinds.ofde:J.th. From this which the Apoflle here obfer– ucth, we may take :1 \'icwc ofthe ftateufGods Church and people here in this world. for, I God vouchC.1fCth pc:1ce, :md profperous fiJC– . ccffe to fomc, as :1. iuH reward offaith and obc– . dicncc ; but others mufi wam the '?_mfort c:f Out- ----------------------
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