Imatges de pàgina
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It is revealed from faith to faith.

As Origen and Chryfoftome truly enough, but not enough fully: Ex fide veteris teftimonii in fidem novi; as Ambrofe,

Ex fide Dei promittentis in fidem hominis credentis.

But moft fully. Ex fide incipiente, in fidem proficientem. For as Clemens faith,

Apoftolus unicam tantum fidem annunciat,quæ crefcendo proficit, Heb.16.22 Till it grow up to be anopogia zis wires a fulnefle of faith. And fo this text is well cited; for the juft man who is made juft by faith;doth live in it and by it.

Gali3.11.

Rom. 5.17

Verf. 18.

7.Tim. 4.8

For how can the Gospel be the power of God to falvation, except it revealeth to us the life of faith, feeing it is fo only to fuch as do believe?

This first place cleareth the point, that the Apostle doth un derftand Gods word in my text fo, as that the means of life is faith, and faith only: for fo it is further urged by Saint Paul,who faith,

But that no man is justified by the works of the law in the fight of Godisevident; for the just shall live by faith.

Here thefe words are brought in to prove, that faith only doth juftifie in the fight of God; which is thus proved.

Life eternal comes only by faith; therefore righteousneffe comes only by faith.

The antecedent is Gods own word in my text.

The confequence is thus proved, for

Righteoufne fe is the foundation of life eternall.

They which receive the abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteoufneffe fhall reign in life.

And in the next verfe it is called fuftification of life.

And this fequence doth the Apostle make in his own com fortable perfwafion of himself.

I have fought a good fight, this is the great fight with Principalities and Powers: And I have kept the faith, this is the fhield. which beareth off the fiery darts discharged against him in this fight his comfort is,

:

From henceforth is laidup for me a Crown of righteousnesse.

This righteoufneffe is not of the law, which he hath fulfilled,but the righteousneffe of the faith which he hath kept.

It is not the breft-plate of righteoufneffe, but it is the fhield of faith that beareth off all the fiery darts of Satan, and therefore the just man doth not live and come out of this battail victorious by righteoufneffe, but by faith.

This place thus applied by our Apoftle, is the ground of our Church tenet, against which the gates of hell cannot prevaile, namely that fola fides juftificat, faith alone doth justifie.

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That which the Romanifts do lay to our charge, is, that we exclude good works, and upon that flanderous imputation, both Dr. Stapleton, Harding, Bellarmine, Campiane, Bishop, and indeed generally all Popish writers do proclaim us Hereticks, and they will not hear us, faying, that the juftifying faith which we preach, must be fuch as worketh by love.

They like the Pharifee truft in themselves that they are perfect; we with the Publican; cry out in faith of Chrift's fufficient fatisfaction, Domine miferere, Lord have mercy; upon whofe example Saint Auguftine faith;

Videte fratres,magis placuit humilitas in malis factis, quam fuperbia in bonis factis.

The caufe is in fight; the humility of the one was with faith, the pride of the other was in prefumption: And Godrefisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

Iconclude this point, wherein I have held you long; I know with how much comfort and profit to my felf, I hope without your loffe of time. What man is he that defireth life,who would live as a man, as a good man,and as an happy man? I answer in the words of the Sonne of God; As thou believest, so shall it be unto thee. Or in the Words of the Father of that Son in my text. The juft man shall live by his faith.

Verf.. Tea also because he tranfgrefeth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home; who enlargeth his defire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be fatisfied, but gathereth unto him all Nations,and heapeth unto him all People.

NOW

Ow that God hath declared what reft and comfort his
Church hath in the manifold oppreffions of the enemies

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thereof, they fhall live by their faith;

In all the rest of this chapter, he declareth his own juft Providence in the Government of the world, and in the fevere execution of his judgments upon impenitent offenders, that the Prophet may inform himself and others, that God hath not forgotten to be juft.

The laft verfe of the chapter is the total of the chapter,

The Lord is in bis holy Temple, let all the earth keep filence before him.

That he litteth not there idle, but is awake, that his eyes do fee, and his eye-lids do try the fonnes of men, that we shall hear from his own mouth.

Concerning the words of this fifth verse,

Tea alfo, because he tranfgreffeth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home.

Thele words are read diverfty both by Translators and by Expofitors.

Our first English Church-bibles read thus.

Like as the wine deceiveth the drunkard, even fo the proud shall faile and not endure.

The Geneva followeth the fame fenfe.

Tea indeed the proud man is as he that tranfgreffeth by wine, therefore shall be not endure.

Arias Montanus: Et quo modo vinum potantem decipit, fic erit fuperbus, & non decorabitur.

In his Interlineary he followeth the text in the original, but in his Commentary he followeth the vulgar Latin authorized for the Canon by the Councel of Trent.

Pagnine. Quanto magis potator vini qui pravaricatr,qui est vir fuperbus,non permanebit? So Mr. Calvin, Etiam certè vino tranf grediens, vir fuperbus non habitabit.

The 7 have no mention of wine.

Ὁ δε κατοιουΘ, καὶ καταφρονητές ἀνὴρ ἀλαζον δὲν μὴ περανεί.
Here be three words to expreffe pride fully

1. To think too well of our felves.

2. To think contemptibly of others.'

3. To boaft and glory in vain oftentation.

It feemeth to me that the purpose of this place, is to expresse

the

the infolency and pride of the king of Babel, proud Nebuchad nezzar,and generally of the enemy of the Jew, the Chaldæan;and that the scope of the place is to refemble them big fwoln in their own felf opinion, to a man that is drunk with wine.

This hath good coherence with the former words, for fhewing how the just man and the proud man do stand in oppofition.

His foule which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just fhall live by faith; faith shall establish the just man.

But the proud man who is drunk with the vain over-weening of himself, he shall not continue, non habitabit, he shall not be established.

And here I forfake theKings Bible,for I cannot find either sense or coherence in it,

The words following are plain enough; for God therein doth expreffe that he taketh 'notice of the infatiable defire of the Chaldæan,who incouraged by his victories, doth cover to be Monarch of all the world.

And this is now the partition of the rest of this chapter,
SI. Faults.

72. Punishments.

SThe first fault here named, infatiableneffe

2The punishment, v. 6, 7,8,

1. The ground and note of this disease of insatiableneffe, is pride of heart.

2. The disease it felf is infatiableneffe.

1. Of the ground: it is pride.

This is refembled to drunkenneffe, it is a fpiritual giddineffe, wherein men lose themselves, and as the drunkard doth both think and speak, and do thofe things which betoken madneffe, his reafon, and understanding, and judgment, and memory fail ing, and is wholly governed by his fancy: fo the proud man made drunk with the wine of his over weening, as a man befide himself, is tranfported with his own felf-opinion, to do things unfeemly as the drunkard doth.

7

The Prophet reproving the pride of Ephraim, doth use this

refemblance,

Wato the Crowne of Pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, And

again,

verf. 3.

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Ifa. 29 9.

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Ver.3. The Crown of Pride, the drunkards of Ephraim fhall be troden underfoot. And after,

They are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with Strong drink

Thus doth pride rob us of our wits, and we fay of the proud man; that he doth not know himself.

Wine and strong drink moderately taken do comfort the heart of man, but when we over-drink, we ceafe to be our felves; fo is it with felf love for every man by the law of charity is bound to love himself, and to love himself firft; when this love doth not ooverflow the banks, it is charity; when it exuberateth, it is pride.

All fober men do esteem drunkards vile, and account drunkenneffe a loathfome fin; let the proud man fee himself in that glaffe, for the drunkard is the picture of the proud man.

1. D.unkenneffe makes men think themselves very wife, and fuch as Alie the conference of their betters when they are fober, in their drink care not with whom they do conteft, and regard no mans prefence.

So the proud man is wife in his own opinion; Salomon faich, There is more hope of a foole then of him.

2. Drunkennesse maketh many apt to quarrel.

Who hath contentions? the answer next verfe.
They that tarry long at the wine.

And fo is it with the proud man : for he that is of a proud heart Pro.285 stirreth up strife.

3. The drunkard whilst he is in his Cups,is not to be admonifhed. Abigail durft say nothing to Nabal, whilft the wine was in his head.

And the proud man is too full of himself to hear any good counsel.

4. David hath two complaints.

The drunkards made fongs of me.

The proud have bad me exceedingly in derision, fo both of them fit Pf.19.51. in the chair of the (cornful.

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5. They are alike in their punishment in this world; for, The drunkard and the proud en are both rewarded with contempt, all that walk in goods are alhamed of them, and avoid their company.

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