6o8 An Expofirion upon Chap. 5 S 1 L.Hence is matter ofexhortation matcheth this with the excufe of the au- bot h to the admonifhers to furnilh thorof the Maccabees in his zBeok ,Chap. themfelves with flore of ,knowledge, as if. verfe 39. they may admonifh with power and T i M. What dWRrines gather ye hence? profit; And unto the admonifhed to S 1 t. Two : the firft is, that bold - take in good worth good warnings neffe, admonitions, and reproofs, be- from their brethren, yea, although not come well Gods meffengers. F'irff, for alwayesgiven with fuch wifedorne and the commandement fake, Efay 58. I. love as were, meet : for God is not Cry aloud, fpare not, tell, en. Earneflneffe bound to fet a difcreete godly perfott a- and freedome of fpeech, is here enjoy - worke to warne thee,not always to fend ned to Gods meffengers. Secondly, a an Abigail, a yethro, arc. but fometime by Mcllenger is not only to do his Lords a poor filly maid or man fervant, our melfage, but in manner and forme as he lnteriours both in place, 2 Rings 3.3,13, is required. Thirdly,if fin (like a flrum- As thou wilt not refufe rich treafure, pet) be bold to appear, why fhould not becaufe it comes through foule hands : Gods fervants be bold to controule it ? fo caff not away reproof and counfell Fourthly, there is great danger if we for the folly or faults of him who giveth faile herein, both to the inner, Ezek. 3. it. Flear afool, a knave, an enemy, it 18, 19. and to the Minifter, Jer, 1.17., he bring truth and reafon : as well as a Speake to them, or I will defiroy thee. It is friend, an honeft man, or a wife man. 'true, the performance of this,will caufe Salaam muff hear his Atli, die he had .fuck as love and live in the fervice of died for lt. fin, to account their reprovers enemies; T r M. But feeingthe Romans were fo . as Ahab did Elias, and the Galatians Paul- fad of knowledge and goodnefe, wherefore did Pa ul f o largely and boldly wrote unte them, at if they had been voy obf{inate and igno- rant ones ? S 1 L. Heanfwereth to this obje&ion- in verfe 15; that he did it not to teach them what they knew not, but partly to the end to remember then of things they knew already and might forget : and- partly for his tun aion take which he fetteth forth by the efficient caufe [ Grace, d becaufe his Apoflolicall au- thority and gifts were of favour given him being a perfecuror. Upon thefe cau- fés he had written,not (fomtwhat) that is,fomething,and left out others as ne- ceffary, by tradition of Church to be fupplyed (as the great 3efuit dreamed: ) for the Scripture is perfe& : but Tome what muff go with [boldly,] &then the meaning is that with Tome liberty and freedome ofs ords,befitting the gravity of the matter,and of my calling. Where: in ye fee Paul confeffed no fault, but juflifeth rather his a&, as good for them and obferve all his- wayes narrowly, to fee if they can have any occafion of ad vantage to accule or to hurt hint: as . thole places can tellifie, where Miniflers do with this holy liberty teftifie againft evils and finnes : but better to have all men our enemies, then to have God alone to be again(' us; and if we cannot fave others, yet it flandeth us upon to deliver our own fouls. The fecond do&rine is, that Gods Miniflero are Gods remembrancers , to put the people in minde. For men, even the beft,are forgettull, yea of common and commonly known duties : by which meanes they runne into great evils; bid not David in his fury again(! Nabal, forget that he ought nor to kill or revenge, till Abigail renembred him ? And Peter in his reare forget Chriffs premonition touching the ti t ice denial! of him, till a Cocke a- y .kened him ? How eafily then may others let flip out of memory neceffary principles and ;.,lu- &ions, Gthence a to be put in remembrance of neceffary godly Prophet and an Apoflle did it? things, and meet for him being their And therefore, if there were no other Apofile and Minifler : therefore Befar- benefit to be reaped by the publick Mi- mine unskilfully and unconfiderately niftry, neither for teaching our igno- rance,
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