aThcd3.t7. A Cotwmetttarie Von the foule firfi,andwill not fuffer finne vpon it. 3.If thou fpye(f,and doff re- uercnce the image of God in him, and loueff him that is begotten , be- caufe ofhim that begat,and preferrtdf the grace ofhis heart aboue al o- ther outward partsand rcfpeòts. 4.Ifthou about all other things with him, yea ifit be in thy power , helpe him to a further part in thebetter part which (hall neuer be taken fromhim.s.lf the more thou feeff grace togrow in him,the more entire thy loue groweth towardshim. 3. This point fhcweth their fearefull condition, that make religion the very cauleof their hatred and malice again(( the godly: an apparant marke of the deuil is (rampedvpon them,who for this caufe compaflleth theearth, that ifit werepoffrble,hemight chafe the image ofGod from off the face of it. Secondly, in that the Apoflle faluteth fuch as lowed them in the faith, we maynote what a mighty power theGofpei carried) with it where the Lordwil haue it effeófuall.There Cretians had bin a vilepeople,and ofmoff brutifh behauiour,as we haue at large heard in the firli Chapter: but now there were amongfl them Inch as loucdPaul, and fuchas claue vntohim in the faith: the Gofpei had tamed and fubdued them,had tur- ned them out oftheir fauage and cruel narures,had made them traEtable and docible, and ofeusll beat s, had reduced them to Chriffian affec` ion andconuerfation:but ofthis wehaue fpoken before. Ç7r.4cebewsthyou all, Amen. This is Pauls ordinary farwell, writ- ten with his own hand in all his Epiffles,wheras the Epifiles themfelues were written out by Come ofhis Scribes: And it is added,: As the marke of his owneEpiffle,that hemight preuent counterfeit writings:for well knewhe how needy it concerned the Church todleane vnto thole wri- tings which were indited by the holy Ghot , infpiring theProphets and Apo(fles , and not tohaue any other ba(lard writings obtruded up- on her, in which prat-life the dewll was refliefie euen in thofe times. 2. As a teffimonyof fingularaffthion andgood will , which canbe by no better means expreffed thenby frequent andearneffprayers:and in- deed his bowells were not araitned toward Titus and the Church com- mittedvoto him ; feting he wi(hech the very fountaine ofgrace, tobe opened voto them : for this word (as we (hewed in thebegcnning)fig- nificch both the free loue and fauourof God towards vs in Chrift, as allo all other fpiritual blejlings flowing from that fountaine:fuch as are remiffion of Gnnes, reconciliation with God, lab fication, fanbtificati- on, life eternall,and all the meanes tending thereunto. 3. That beeing an Apoftolicall prayer,it might allo be ameanes ofobtaining, and con- uaying vpon them the grace requeffed : and although he had made the fame requea for them before, yet it isno vaine repetition : for partly he pray.
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