Mottrh.;. v.t8. A g~ouu,! of p:uicnce. ! p Aa:.r.p.:. 'Ihc1nu:grt.. tieqfthc ~l\'/0 Diligcntfi:u• d.icofthe Scripture. Tfienltan.e_, ofi.uthc~$ eomu:t!iun. Sei'mon in the 8l4ount. Sixtly, ""e arc hereby taught to put on p~ticncc in affliCtions:for they come by the fpeciall appointmCt ofour God,who faith inhis word, p 71Jat thorough many afjliCliont we mt:jf ent~r into thek,jngtklme of heaucn : now cl1Crypart of Gods \'\'orO mutt be accol~plil11cd; and there– fore Chri!l: bad Pcterto f :!tvphufwb>?d, when he would lpue rcfcucd lii.apprchcnlion : for (faith he) I could praie to "'! father! and h~e WQJJ/d {e11U more then fwe!Uc legionlrof A,1gclr to he!pcmce: but how frohld the Scriptufc/Fe-ful· Jii!cd, wh{ch faJ, It muftbe fa ?.Matth.· z6. )'2• 53;54· . - .: . '. ' SC:iuenthly, our S:lUiOur Chritl:.in thiS pro– pertic ofimmutabilitieJ giucth vmo the ... Nhole Law,and vnto euery fi.Uable and lcue-r thercef, his proocr tOrcc,vcnue,and fcnfe;fo as there is nothing in it, not fo muchas one lCteer vainc or idle: tOr ouery commandement reuc~les the perfeCt iu{lice of God, and.euery l;tter fcrues eo expreffe the. fame' Co~mandemdn1. And herein the Law of GoCi ditfercth ff6m mens laweS : fo'r in them be ·many vainc r-ind idle words, yeaoft<mtiffieSwholefcmcnces-;~but in the'law of God it is notfo: Prov.818. Afl the words of my 'momh a~e righteousJ t~cr.e iJ no lewdncffi~norfr9wardnejfo in them: yea;-·1:he Law. of tiJc 'Lord q U?crfoCl 1 hMjlamtes are·right; ana hi& iudgtments true ··and· righteom ~~Ztogether. Now the confideration ,of this imegritieand perfeCtion of the l:iw,"arid word <>~-<i.dd, muft mooue vs to fludie -the' Scriptures "Vi'th great diligence: fo faith our Sauiour Chri!l, 'S.arch theSmptum: thatis·,-lhake and lift them( as the word lignifieth) fearch narrowly, till the true forcerand meaning of euery- fenrence, yea of cue:>' wordarljl iillable; nay, of eucry letter aftd iottc · rhE'fcin, be knowne and vndcrfiood: confdf'e place ·~·ith place, the !cope of one place with another, things going bef01:e wirh things that come after; yea eom... pare word with word, letter wirh letter, and feareh it thoroughly. This manner of ltudying the Scripture is mofi•necdfarie,.as bccing the thing indecde, which prefcrueth& vpholdcth the Church ofGod,and the puritieofreligion: for about foure or fiuc hundred yeares agone, men left offto fl:udie the Bible, -after this iOn, and betookc themfelues to the "''ritings of men, occupying their wittes wholly in vainc quidditics in Philofophic, and inhid myltcries ofDiuinitic;by whichh1canes it came to paffe) that Poperie and Apofiacic from the truth, fpread it fdfe oucrthc \oYorld, for many hun– dred yearestogether. Afterward, God of his mccre mcrcic, put into the hearts offome men, to be careful! (carehers in the word ofGod,by which mcancs the trmh <t'ppeared, as light out of darkendfe. Thus God ltirred vpLuther, a– boutthe yeare of our ~ord, r 1 1 7. wh? by di– ligent fcarch in the Sctipt.urc, ahdefpeciallyby I fcrious medltatio~1, with praicr, vpon thefe words of the ApofHc,Rom. ~. 21. That-now by rhc Go[pel, withour.rkc ~:!._r:_,rhc IP.jliof!of"God 1 1 A m.trJcm.<nif•J!: did finde that by the pc.,1,e& obedicncc_,of ChriJl', "our iunificarion \>\':l.S \\'rougbt;.. and th.cr~upon, ~vgan to rnaint~il\e and P,rofdfc Iuilification before God to be ia'c, 'throl!gh and by faith •in Chri(l oncly; )~~.t.l- 1,,out h.clpe •ffom the vwrkes of th~. law~ a~aiti!l the tlMt'ril1e of the (Church of 1\ome; a1ul fqby ·ureh~r,dHigcncc anq indufiric in the ?cripturc, thctQ.ith of Cot! fbonc fonh 111orC ~t):l more; Eht <\11 men, but tfpccially ~tudc.ncs in diuinitic, confider rhi~ etfctt, of icarchmg out the ScripturcJ as a fpurrc to diligence, in this bchalfe. By this mcancs a.lfo, errors and herelies at~ a!jcided and litpp.rel!cd, apdthe ».i:ll of God iS:•,Plaincly re\Jcaled. And h¥re hr-~h~ way, w~may !Cchovv pto~tab~c an.d .nc– Gaflanc the g1fr of Interpretauon IS ; 1t \S a B moil cxcdlcpt gift of the fpirit; pertaining to the minHteric ;-...and therefore rnoft conunen– ldable· and, necelfarie is ch.e .vfe thereof in Sfbooles ofl.eamiog. . . · Eighcly,this immutabilirie afcribed to Gods law, that .euety part thcreof.l110ll be accomp– liflTed to tl}C fUll:; tC3.cheth'all.Princes and Ma– gifirates, not onely to be keepers of Moft.; law jn their owne p~rfons; but alfo within ,their rule arid d0minions, · to doe their befl in– deauour, that, the.fame he fulfilled and kept ' by others. For this cau!c.did the Lord com– mand; that tl1e J!hnce of hi< peoplefhould·halle . . Jh~btnv fwr.ittt'n before him ili·nboof::.:,-roreade " 11.pon continua!lf, 1hat h'ee may.iearne to feare G9d, and to.kJepFa/1.the words,of the Law to .J.e them: and that which is their cnioyned vt1- , C toPrinces,beloo~eth alfo vnto a1 Magiflrates, 1 Ma.Hers, andP.ar.ents; within.• thcir places and · charges, they muft be carefulHo leethe whole. law of God:praClifed, and -obeyed, both in ;rhcir ownepcrfons,and'Oft.h:oftthat are vndcr them. 1 .._ Laltly, by chi•.immutabilit·ie afcribed •tb the Law, wc .may-h.•arne,-what it istofitlfill ,the law; namely; to keepc and obfcrue to-rhcl fitll;, eucry particular' thing_ which •h-e: law . commands vs: and vpon this we may giound t·)'"o-concluliot\s again!! the Pap)!l:s; Firfi,~hat no 1 rnan can •come to life_euerla.Hing b.y his -ov.rnc righteoufncffc andobc'diencc;for he that would come tohcauCby hiS O\Nn rightcoufn:cs, D muft be able to fulfill the whole law pcrr.cuy' in eucry refpett: but finc.e Adamt· fall, no man·could keepe thclawc .in.all things fauing ~ourSauiour Chrifi, both God and man. Se– condly, that Oijt fitlfiJling ofthclaw, mufi be in the obedience of ChTill, for he only was. anfwcrable to the whole lavdn all things; and therefore if we would comc..tohcaucn, wee mufi not come in our owne.rightc6ufi1c.s, but in his; asPau~wifheth to be found of God, , Phil. 3;8.9. . v. 19. Who/oeu:e.~ therefore , fo.aff brea~ ohe '_;;f;fhefe- leaft : D4 eom- - --- --- - ----- ---= 37 /l.h~iAr!ltcs multb~ kce• pcnofthc L:~w. r o~Ut.tio' 18,1$• lVi•aiitls t() kcep(; Chc Law. q I
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