An exposition of the dominical epistles and gospels used in our English liturgie throughout the whole yeare together with a reason why the church did chuse the same / by Iohn Boys ... ; the winter part from the first Aduentuall Sunday to Lent.

The Epistle. 2. COR. 11.19.

Ye suffer fooles gladly, &c.

SAint Paul was so modest in his owne cause, that hee cals himselfe the greatest sinner, and the least Saint: but in Gods cause, perceiuing that his personall disgrace

might tend to the generall hurt of the Church, and scan∣dall of the Gospell, he doth boast with the prowdest; In wh••••soeuer a•••••• t••an is bold, I am bold also. Not out of vaine glory, to commend himselfe, but out of a r iust necessitie to stop the mouthes of other; especially to confound the false teachers. He doth therefore, s first confer, then pre∣fer himselfe before them all.

He compares himselfe with them in that which is lesse commendable, namely, for his birth and ancientry. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 are Hebrewes, euen so ••m I: they are Israelites, euen so am •• they are the seed of Abraham, euen so am I: whereas they re∣ioice after the flesh, I will reioice also: vers. 18.

As he doth equall himselfe with them in things car∣nall; so prefer himselfe before them in things spirituall, in that which is more worthy praise, to wit, in his Apostle∣ship. First in generall: They are the Ministers of Christ, (I speake as a foole) I am more: t put apart to preach the Gospell of God, u not by man, but by Iesus Christ.

In more particular, he doth extoll himselfe aboue them

• all, in two points especially:
  • 1. For that he suffered moe troubles; as he sheweth in this scripture.
  • 2. For that he receiued mo graces; as he declareth in the next Chapter.

• His trou∣bles here mentio∣ned, are partly, such as him∣selfe assu∣med of his owne ac∣cord:
  • such as other imposed on him. In x stripes a∣boue measure. y Supramodū virtutis huma••••▪ supra modum cōsuetu••inis humanae. In pr••••••n more plenteously: in z death of••: of the Ie••s s••ue times I receiued forty stripes saue one. Thrice was I beaten with rods: I was once a stoned: I suffered thrice shipwracke: night and day haue I been in the deep sea: in perill of wat••rs, in perill of robbers; in ieopardie of mine owne nation, in ieopard•• among the heathen: inpe∣rils in the b Citie in perils in wildernesse, in pe∣rils among false brethren, &c.
  • ...

• ...
  • Outward: Labour, watching, hunger, thirst, fasting, cold, na∣kednesse.
  • Inward: I am cumbred daily, and take care for all the congrega∣tions, &c.

• The naturall man is comfor∣ted in three things especially:
  • quiet rest.
  • liberall diet.
  • good apparell.

For rest, Paul did labour much, c euen with his owne hands, d night and day, watching osten preaching some∣time till midnight: Acts 20.7. For diet, he sometime was in hunger and thirst, vpon want: 1. Cor. 4.11. and often he did fast for the ••aming of his body: 1 Cor. 9.27. For ap∣parell, he was in cold and e nakednesse: the one hurtfull to himselfe, the other hatefull to the world. For his in∣ward afflictio••; he tooke care for the whole Church, ex∣ceeding solicitous for their spirituall & temporall good: spirituall; who is weake in faith, or good works, and I am not grieued? f insirmis factus sum infirmus: I became weak to the weake, that I may win the weake. So the g Pro∣phet: Oh that mine head were full of water, and mine cies a fountaine of teares, that I might weepe day and night, for the slaine of the daughter of my people!

Concerning defects in temporall good, he saith; Who is offended, that is, afflicted, and I burne not, in heat of compassion? All this Saint Paul doth hedge in with a preface before; Yee su••••er fooles, &c. And a protesta∣tion after, vers. 31. The God, euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, which is blessed for euermore, knoweth that I lie not.

In the preface, Saint Paul doth h tax the Corinthians folly, for that they suffered, and that gladly, the false tea∣chers to tyrannise ouer their persons and purses,i eit••er secretly defrauding, or openly deuouring their estate; whereas the good Apostles in the meane while, (who

preached liberty of conscience, and sought not their owne, but that which is Iesus Christ) were neglected and despised.

As it was in Corinth, it is in England; the craftie Iesuit, and dissembling schismatike, preuaile more with the people then the true Protestant Preacher. Our popish La∣dies are so wise, that they suffer the Iesuit to bring both their credits and consciences into bondage, to deuoure their husbands estate, to take what they list, inioyning penance to other, while they pamper themselues, and ex∣alt their order aboue all either Priest or people.

So the Schismatike gaines by losse: as in familiar let∣ters, it is the best rhetoricke to vse no rhetoricke: k carere figuris sigurat epistolam. And as l Sci••io said; he was neuer lesse alone, then when he was alone: so the factious haue neuer so much liuing, as when they haue no liuing. But the Protestant Pastor is kept often from his own, (which all lawes of God and men hold his due) by prohibitions and vniust vexations; or else paied with insupportable grudging and enuie. Some will happily complaine with m Innocentius; Iustitia nisi venit, non prouenit, ne{que} datur nisi vendatur. So that (as n trauellers obserue) Diuines are lesse regarded in England, then in any nation of the world, either Christian or heathen.

Saint Paul in his protestation, o calles to witnesse the most mercifull and most mighty, that he speaks nothing but the truth. He that knoweth all, knoweth I doe not lie.

The p Lord is to be feared, because God; to be loued, be∣cause the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ; to be praised, be∣cause blessed for euermore. By this great, good, glorious Lord, whom I dare not abuse, because great; will not, be∣cause good; may not, because glorious, I protest that all is true which I haue said, or shall say.

It appeares then in his preface, that he dealt wisely in his protestation, that hee dealt truly. Some commend themselues truely, but not wisely, moe commend themselues wisely, but not truly. Paul here doth both,

approuing himselfe before God and men: before God in speaking so truly; before men, in speaking so wisely.

Notes

• r

  Lu••••••r. & S••••••••••tus n••l••••. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••oc.
• s

  Aq•••••••••• ••oc.
• t

  Rom. 1.1.
• u

  Galat. 1.1.
• x

  Acts 16.22.23.
• y

  Aquin.
• z

  Rom. 8.36.
• a

  Acts 14.19.
• b

  Act. 18. & 19.
• c

  Acts 20 34.
• d

  2. Thes. 3.8.
• e

  1. Cor. 4.11.
• f

  1. Cor. 9.22.
• g

  Ieremy 9.1.
• h

  Luther. ••••l••. S••••••••n l••c.
• i

  Go••••an. in loc.
• k

  Politian. epist. lib. 1. epist. Pet. Me••••••.
• l

  Cic. offic. lib. 3.
• m

  Devil tate condit. human. lib. 2. cap. 5.
• n

  See trauels of Englishmen into far Coun∣tries. p. 62.63.
• o

  Ambros. in loc.
• p

  Aquin. in loc.