A commentary vpon the Epistles of Saint Paul to Philemon, and to the Hebrewes together with a compendious explication of the second and third Epistles of Saint Iohn. By VVilliam Iones of East Bergholt in Suffolke, Dr. in Divinity, and sometimes one of the fellowes of the foundation of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge.

VERSE 1.

THe exhortation hath two branches. 1. What they are to leave. 2. What they are to contend unto. 1. Terminus à quo. 2. Terminus ad quem.

Seeing it is a shame, alwayes to be babes; let us as men growne, seeke after stronger meat.

The principles .i. that which begins us and enters us into Chri∣stianity, leaving that: How? Not casting it for ever behinde our backes: suffering it quite to slip out of our memories, never think∣ing of it any more: we must remember even the principles of Re∣ligion, to our dying day, but wee must not insist in those, and set downe our staffe here, but as good travellours goe on forwards. As if one should say to a Grammer Scholler, leave thy Grammar and goe to Logick, Rhetoricke, Philosophie, to more deepe and profound points of learning; his meaning is, not that hee should leave his Grammar quite, and never thinke on it any more, but that he should passe from that to greater matters. As if one should say to a Tra∣veller going to London, that sits eating and drinking at Colchester: leave Colchester, and goe on to London: So leave this doctrine of the beginning of Christianity, leave your A. B. C. be not alwayes beginners, but proceede, till ye come to some maturity.

Let us goe on to perfection, with all cheerefulnesse and celerity. Both we that are the teachers, and you that are to be taught by us: that we may aspire to perfection dayly more and more.

Wee cannot goe of ourselves, we must be led, namely by the hand of GOD Almighty: as little Children cannot goe, unlesse their mothers and nurses lead them. Let us therefore intreat the Lord to lead us forward by the hand of his spirit to perfection day∣ly more and more. Wee cannot climbe up to the highest staire of the ladder of perfection in this world: we must be climbing all the dayes of our life. Saint Paul was rapt into the third heaven: yet he professed he was not yet perfect. We know in part, we believe in part, and we must be as Schollers learning of our part, so long as we live. Though with Moses wee have beene brought up in all the learning of the Aegyptians, though wee bee as perfect Scribes in the law of GOD, as Ezra: as eloquent and mightie in Scripture as Apollos, though wee have as many tongues as Saint Paul, who spake with tongues more than they all did, yet wee must bee carryed on still to perfection: wee must be as Travellours, that are ever walking and going on and on, never resting till wee come to our journeys end, which will not bee till death it selfe shall come. Our SAVIOUR himselfe, as hee was a man, did grow up in wisedome; and shall any of us thinke our selves so wise that wee neede not to grow in wisedome? Let us all goe on forwards to perfection every day more and more.

The first reason is taken from a ridiculous absurditie, set forth by a comparison.

Not laying againe 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, quasi 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, because foun∣dations are layd exceeding deepe in the earth. All men laugh at those builders that are alwayes laying the foundation, but never set up the Walls, lay on the roofe, tyle, and glaze the house, &c. but every day are laying the foundation. Those bee foolish buil∣ders. So we that be Christians, must not always be laying the foun∣dation of religion, but wee must build up ourselves as a glorious house to the Lord.

Then hee sets downe the particular stones of this foundation, which wee must not ever bee laying: hee reckons up the chiefe points of the Christian catechisme, which all ought to have at their fingers ends, which it is a shame to be ever learning. Of these, some concerne this life; some, the life to come: they that apper∣taine to this life are private, or publike.

1. Repentance, which is illustrated by the things we are to re∣pent of.

There be living workes, which we doe when CHRIST li∣veth in us; these are not to bee repented of, but to be practised by us: and there bee dead workes, which be sinnes, and are so called, 1. Because they come from dead men, that are dead in trespasses and sinnes. 2. Because they tend to death and destruction, the wages of sinne is death.* 1.1

All sinnes are dead workes: covetousnesse, malice, pride, drun∣kenesse, uncleannesse, lying, swearing, &c. are dead works: there∣fore let us have nothing to doe with them. Men are afraid to touch dead bodies, or to come neere them, we flye away from a dead and stinking carkasse. Every sin is a dead carkasse, that sends up an un∣savory smell into the nostrills of God: therefore let it be abhorred by us all: let us turne away our eyes and hearts too from all dead workes.

Repentance hath two parts: th•• mortification of sin, and vi∣vification to newnesse of life, Isa. 1.16. Zacheus repented him, when he left his peeling and griping and became a liberall man, made re∣stitution to those whom hee had defrauded, and gave the one halfe of his goods to the poore. Peter repented of his denyall of Christ, when he did not only weepe bitterly for it, for a time, but stood in defence of Christ, to the very death. Then an adulterer repents of his adulterie, when hee leaves quite his Whores and harlots, and possesses his vessell in holinesse and honour. Repentance is a forsak••ng of the sinne, and an imbracing of the contrary vertue.

It is not the laying aside of sinne for a time, as a man doth his Coate at night, and puts it on againe in the morning: but it is an ut∣ter relinquishing of sin, a shaking of it off, as S^t. Paul did the viper, never resuming it againe.

It is not a changing of sin, but a putting away of sin. Then a man hath repented, when of an old creature, hee is made a new. It is not onely a sorrow for sinne, a weeping and howling for sinne, though these be good steps to repentance. Caine was grieved for his sinne. Esau howled for it. Iudas was pierced with the dart of sorrow for it: but it is an abandoning of the sinne. There may bee 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, where there is not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

This is one of the principles of religion, as it were a piece of our A.B.C. Iohn Baptist cryed,* 1.2 repent—Matth. 3.2. Our Saviour in his owne person at his first entrance into the Ministery preached it, after his resurrection injoyned the preaching of it to his Disci∣ples, Luk. 24.47. and it was the subject of S^t. Peters Sermon at the day of Pentecost, Acts 2.38. Which doctrine of repentance in respect of practise ought to sound continually in the Pulpit, but not in respect of knowledge. But it is to be feared that many, where the Word hath beene long preached, are ignorant of it, at the least we doe not practise it as we ought to doe: we must be repenting in act continually the best of us all; but we must not alwayes be lear∣ning the doctrine of repentance.

The consideration of our dead workes and manifold sins might carry us into the pit of destruction therefore followeth faith in Christ, by whom we have the remissi••n of them.

And of faith towards GOD, that is faith in the LORD IESUS CHRIST, as S^t. Paul exhorts the Iaylour, Act. 16.31.

Some interpret it, what wee are to believe of God: but then hee would have said, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, rathe•• than 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. 2. Then this

branch might have served for all the rest, and so all the other might have b••ene bury••d in silence.

It is called faith towards GOD in generall, though the speciall object of faith be Christ, which is God, as well as the Father and the Holy Ghost.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Rom. 6.23.
• * 1.2

  Mark. 1.••5.