Taylor - Houston-Packer Collection BS2755 .T394 1619

ofS. PadtoTitus. turbation,that it may conceive thebet+ofperfons and a6iions. The lac- 559 ter, is Chriftian lenity, gentlenes, or meekenefe which euen in taking notice of the faults and vices ofothers , couereth , fo farre as is good for theparty : andalto in the fpirit ofloue and weekneffe cureth and fee- keth to reflore loch an offender. And as the two formervices werepro- hibited in regard ofall men,fo chele twovertues arenot fo nakedlypro- pounded,buc that their obie6ls alfo areby the Apofilenoted in the Jail words:where theApoftle faith that we mull be equall+and mild,not on- ly to thofe in authority, whomay elfe returne our frowardnes with vn- tolerable difpleafure;nor only co our friendsand familiars,or fachas by thebondofnature'or feruice mayclaime filch dealing from vs ; neither onely to Gods friendsandbeleeuers : but toall nten indefinitely, euen chofe co whomeout ofthe bondofChriftianity we arenothing bound; chofewho in themfelues deferue no fuch thing, but the contraryat our ! hands: in aword, thofe whoare not only our enemies, butGods after a i fort ; beeing as yet without, and norbrought vino the faith : which laft words may not (lightly be ouerpaffed , becaufe they lay a notable ground,andmakeway veto the verles following. For the firft generali exhortation, the fcope is, that euery Chriflian Re;nreaa;lies ought to keepe with him apropenficie, and difpofitiou to euery good eue,ygooa worke, whether it concerne God, or himfelfe,or others: for the Apoftle °ecafion hawing called vs to glueGodGods,and Cxfars to Cælar;that the body of Chrifl might be without rent , as his coate waswithout feame ; and that theremight be a tweet harmonyandcontent in the Chriftian con- monwealth; he now calleth to the pradbfe ofa common principle, and lawe in nature, namely, to giue eueryman that right which God bath giuen him:andChriflians are not onelydebcers vntoMagiflrates,but to themeanetff and weakeft,co whom the commonbondof nature and hu- manity bath knit vs : fo as no mancan fayof any man , I owe him no- thing. The likepraEtife ofour Apoflle we may elfewhere obferue , as Rom.t 3. where hauing in many verles required fubieélion and tribute due vetoPrinces; in the 7.and S.verfes to (hut vp his exhortation with- all, he wifheth to giue to euery man his due tribute to whome tribute, cuftome to whome cuftome, feare to whom feare, honour towhomho- nou'r;but loue toall nieta,owenothing to any man but loue: which isfuch a a delpetatedebt as amancan neuer dilcharge himfelfe of. The like cloth the ApofllePeter,whoeombineth all chele duties inone fhort verfe,but a little inuerting the order : Feare God, honour theKíng, loue brothers pera,17, lowfhip. Thisprecept inhandchargeth uponeuery Chriltian there twomine duties. Fírfi, that he mull make account with himfelfe that euery Chrifli-

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=