r---------~~~~---------------- •94 I v1 Commentarie vpon \~~:,:',':~ - 'I M~(C~bt~\ fb.tl~ hce .kated of ~ll IJ.Ztions for mJ fJatJfc.tfak.!. A\ fore ourSauiourfaith, Asw.tnJMrte.ejucdhim .---..:.. l loh•. 16. 2.. Tbcyjballexconmsu11ic:~teyou; Je4 J b.J{4ith, to them hu gaue powtr, 11 r prerogatiue,. Io!:t.l.n, rh~ ttmcflJa/t come,that rvbofoerte:kJ.IlethJoH,JbaU to he thefo.'mu ttf G~d. Wee take it fOr agreat thmk! hte doth God good fm<tce , Act. ~t.u. prcrogatiUc, to be the childc of an earthly Away (fay the }ewes of Paul ) with[11ch afc!- Prince; and fo it i<: butto be the fonnc ofGod /owefrom th.e tarth: it ii nat me~te that he (IJtudrJ (who is King ofKings) is aprchcmincncc 3n.d litte. And hence hefaith of himfclfc, an4 the 4ignitie ab,oue all dignicics; and, no t9nguc nther Apo£llcs, I. Cor.f. q. Thcy>>ere made .can ~xprc!fe thccxcellencic tl>~reof.For, what thefilth of the >Porld, and the off-fcouring of .,y mor~ c~n •. man dcfire, then to bee heire of thmgJ. . .. -. . . 'l~ne J.n l1~e cucrl3!l)ng? and y~t true faith ln the tttnc oft Pi: perfecUil[1g Empcrouro m _brmg.eth tillS to a bclceucr. Jt i•-•n excellent thcPrimi~ii..zc church,whcnany c&tpo_n calami.. dignitic, to be matched with Angels; ~md no ticbcfdlthepcopleorStatc:>Sfaminc,deanh, ~rince in the world, by all hmnanc wit at ·pe.fiilcnce,or fuchlil<e,they !lraight way impu.- .po\\'er cat) a.ttaine vm.o it: but yet, the ~hi!de .ted it to the Chri!Hans: J'aying, That thq and of God ~a,n, btcing ioyned to"od by faith It) their lPicfe!d religwn, were the caufe ,thereof. B Chriil; wherrby (io f9me fort) he is :iboue t~ And though wee haue religion maintained a- ,Angds themf.clues :-for,our nature in Chrjfi, is mongn, yet the poore feruants of God finde a;luanced ab,ou.e the J>a.rur£.of Angcfs• .the like wclcom.C in the \•.:orld: for, thu' th~ Honours a.nd digllities)in Politickc or .ciuill wi:ekcd.c.cnfurc them euc;.ic where, That they c:flates,arc the gocid gifts of God,~ndhis own .~re Ciffcmbling hypocrites, and none fo bad Drdinanccs,wlicrcby mc:_n art in higher places, and·v.ile p.crfons as they arc. Now;, ifany man al)d io.~ccoum one abcl,leano.thc-r; butycr, all aske, how come.s it to paffc, that the world. the dis:nitic,honour,and pompc ofthe w.orld, fj,ou)d nan<,\er rhem fa, and,thinkefovilely o! .feu.cred from th~~ dignity which faith btin&- .tbem. Anf.Firil,becaufe they betak!n out ofth; ~th toth~l>ekeuer, is nothing worth. Indeed, world, inregard offtate andcondition int,rau, if worldlypre.h.emineoce be ioyned with faith, .Ioh. 15. I 9;thereforerhe worldhaterh them, lob, I iris a great and exccll~ntprerogatiue: for,faith I 5· 19. Secondly, the worldi{.nowu the"' not, make£ it ace<pt~bl.e vnto God: bur, feueifaith L.loh.J.I. and therefore fpeakcs euill of th.em, from worldly dignities, and what arc th.ey,but Iude 1 o. Thl.rdly, the wicked -mc:afurc; oth$!r_s C vanitie ofvanidcs?which wi.l turnc to .thegrea,. by themfelues; and therefore defpife the godrer condemnation ofhim that enioycth them, ly, rhat ioync not with them,~ ..Pcr.4. s.LallIfa manhau~ fauour in rhe Court, -and ye; ly_, th~rc isa{ccrct cnmitic betwcc:ne the fcedc w.am theKings fauour, itjs nothing: and,fuch of the wicked, and the feedc of the Church; are all tcmporall dignities, without Gods fa. { x. Ioh. 3· r2..) the wickedare ofthatn~iUonj 4our; for, at his indignation thcyv:1.nilb aw3.y. thedmill; and therefore, mull ne.edcs hate: the Now, his fauour without faith, can no maQ r;,odly , who~re borne ofGod, So that, when haue;for,herhatm,mtth1mr. Godmnjl b<leen<, wee lhall fee or heare, thatvngo,dly P,<rf9ns ~•rf.6. fhall in a,ny fuch wrt abufe the children o( Here, a.ll thefc that ate in phce about oG od :w.ce mufl not maruell, nor bee troubled thers, cichet by bmh, or fpcciall calling, mufi atit, for ~t is no ncwe thing, it hath bc-cp.e le:. rneabouc all things to labour for the dignifrom the b~ginning: burv;ee mull pray <hat ~y offaith.When we haue fl:<h things whnein .God .wo1,1ld open their eyes , ~hat they we delight, wrc c!cfir.e cominuar.ce of them. Jrtay rurnc from their finn,cs to rcpenr:mcc; Bcholdc 1 the d\gniti.c of t3ith is cucrbHing: and then (no doubt) they will ~hangph<ir and be/ides, it fignifics all ciuill di~;nitics,31lQ .c.onccirc, and alter their bthauiour tow:~.rds m;:tkes ~he owners ofrhem glorious,and.accep~ them; as p,,u/Pid ,G.al. I.I).'I 5· ACts, 9.' x, D table, both before: God and man; ·when :IS o.. :6. thcrwife, witho,nr faith, they are nothing:anQ · To come to the words more particubrly; they that haue ,hem,c~m do nothingbut abufc the Holy Ghoil faith , 'The world>va; not wort1J them. ·: . (!jthem: rhat i!',thc companic ofvngodly liucrs Agame, rh~ holy Gho!f{:!llth, TIJtworldwM without Chrifi- •and voidc of grace ,.-were npr fiOlJP_Qrlh? ofthrfo mm, ~o: another cau.fc; ~nd I ,•.:orrhy thefocictic ofth.cfe ho1¥oncs; :wd for that J& thts: Euery Chnfhan m~~ by h~s (:mh, this caufc,did the ~o~~ take thc'm ~rom.among brings many blcffingsa_moog thofcpamcs,:md ~hen1. r! r~thatplace"'·here he hucd: na.. y, the worJ_d I Here note a tiogula; fi:uit of true faith; it Pc(crucs no fuch bleffi1;gs; and therefore lS I brings ar~an to th~t~fhtc, and giues him that vnw9nhy .of the pcrions by wbome ,br:y · :xccllcnCie th:lthcismorc 'North, then the come. 1 ~-hole \vQ;l:.l.1 ~ne ane by the whole world,th~ QJ!.~ft. How doe ~hrifiiar.s b~ing bldf:n~s I !. ,dlate ofall thofc that llue in the worhl, Out of t.o places where they hue? Anf Ftrlt, by thm . c~lrift. If diCI1 a man \-VOuld !laUC true and Haprcfcncc: for?as God (aJd to .Ahrlrhl/1'/; the: F:t- f blc rl~gni;,.ic, let him labour for true faith ;for l rher ofthe falt~f~ll, _ThtJH fb~lt he ahlrjfing, I [4iti:J h:nh this priuHcdgc , to aduQ.JiCC a bdce:- Gen. t z.j. fp 1s 1t wJth tll bclecucrs. L11btm 1 I "£~t~..'.'}'_c:_l:ono1~· '"~x_:_'il_encic.A~:~reconfe!fcth that lm pcrwued that the [,,~,~~ \ -~ 1-."..,_,--,,.. .., .. ' -- -
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