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VERSE 14. But put yee on the Lord Iesus Christ, and make not prouision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts there∣of.
IN these words is the Affirmatiue part of the Exposition of Honest walking.
To walke honestly, is to put on the Lord Iesus Christ: Vnder which phrase is emphatically comprehended, sobrietie, tem∣perance, chastitie, continencie, peace, loue, and whatsoeuer
vertue is requisite to a Christian conuersation.
Neither doth hee follow his former manner of speaking, saying, Not in rioting, &c. but in putting on the Lord Iesus; but deliuereth this part in the manner of an Exhortation, for more force.
In this we haue two parts: First, the dutie exhorted vnto, in the first part of the verse: Secondly, an Amplification in the last.
But put yee on the Lord Iesus Christ.
In these words is the Dutie; wherein are considerable, The Act, Put on; the Obiect, The Lord Iesus Christ.
The Lord Iesus Christ: These titles describing the second Person in the most sacred Trinitie, who was annointed to be our Sauiour, redeeming vs by his blood, and therefore of right, our Lord and Master; are expounded in the Cate∣chisme, and therefore I passe them ouer here.
Put yee on. This phrase is figuratiue, wherein Christ is compared to a Vesture, and our obedience to the putting of it on.
Christ is our Vesture two wayes, as our Satisfaction, and as our Sanctification, as the Cause of our Saluation, and as the patterne of our life.
Wee put him on, as our satisfaction, when we beleeue, of which principally is that Scripture, * 1.1 As many as haue beene baptised into Christ, haue put on Christ.
As our Sanctification, when we follow his example, resem∣ble him, and are conformable to his holy life: and this is chiefly meant here, though the other not excluded. As it was meate and drinke to him to doe his Fathers will, * 1.2 so ought it to be to vs.
This phrase is frequent in Paul, and he is much delighted with it; commending Loue and other vertues, vnder such manner of speaking vnto vs; as Coloss. 3.12. & seq.
For the graces of Gods Spirit, will beautifie vs more, and set vs forth, then Iewels, chaines of gold, or any rich gar∣ments: As all Samsons strength was in his haire, so our strength is in Faith, but our beautie is in holinesse and in vertue.
Put on Christ, so put on the new man, Ephes. 4.24. a kinde of speaking taken from a rite or ceremony antiently, euen in Saint Pauls time vsed in Baptisme; * 1.3 as M. Beza acknowled∣geth, when persons baptized by dipping, or putting their bo∣dies vnder the water, did either put on new garments, or their owne, quasi nouis, as new, as he speaketh.
But all Antiquitie witnesseth that such garments were white: so doe these verses signifie.
Candidus egreditur niueis exercitus vndis, Atque vetus vitium purgat in amne nouo: * 1.4 Fulgentes animas vestis quo{que} candida signat, Et grege de mueo gaudia pastor habet. And these. Inde parens sacro ducit de fonte sacerdos, Infantes niueos corpore, * 1.5 corde, habitu.
And Saint Ambrose speaketh of it as of a Ceremony gene∣rally receiued and vsed in his time, which was about some 370. yeares after Christ: and therefore M. Zanchy might wel say of the white vesture, * 1.6 Credo fuisse in illa vetustissima Eccle∣fia vsitatam, I beleeue that it was ordinarily vsed in that most antient Church, meaning the time next after the Apostles.
The manner was this: so soone as any was baptized, hee receiued of the hands of the Priest a white vestment: where such Ceremony is yet vsed, the Priest saith thus at the deliue∣ry of the white garment: Accipe vestem candidam, sanctam, immaculatam, quam proferas sine macula ante tribunal domini nostri Iesu Christi, &c. Receiue this white, holy, immaculate, vestment, which thou mayst bring forth without spot, at the iudgement seat of our Lord Iesus Christ.
This garment hee was to weare a whole weeke, at the end whereof hee came and rendered it to the Priest: and in antient time baptisme was administred but at two times in the yeare, vnlesse there were necessitie; namely at Easter, and at Whitsontide; and therefore was the weeke af∣ter Easter called Dominica in albis, as wee yet call the feast of Penticost from this ceremony, Whitsontide, as I take it.
This was the antient order, so in offensiue was a white garment, euen at the Sacrament of Baptisme, being there a
significant Ceremony: and it signified notably three things.
1 Liberty, that the parties so indued were set free from sinne and Satan by Iesus Christ: as the Romanes when they manumitted their bondmen, among other tokens thereof, * 1.7 they put them on a white garment: of which Tertullian makes mention.
2 I••y, for the grace and victory by the holy Sacrament: for of both is white a token: of Ioy, where the Scripture saith, * 1.8 Let all thy garments be white: of Victory, so saith Christ to the Angell of the Church of Sardis, He that ouercometh, * 1.9 the same shall be clothed in white raiment.
3 Innocency and purity of life, that they which were bap∣tized should liue candidè, fairly, not defiling themselues with sinne, but hating the very garment spotted with the flesh.
To put on Christ then, is abundantly to expresse him, fol∣lowing in all things the holy rules and patterne which hee hath left in his word. Constancy also may be here implyed, for we are to put him on as our garments, which we tie fast and button to vs.
Doctrine, in the words of Saint Chrysostome; [Doctr.] Qui Christum induit, omnem simul in vniuersum virtutem habet: He that hath put on Christ hath together all vertue: or, To walke honestly is to put on Christ; that is, to follow his example, 1. Iohn 2.6. He that, saith he, abideth in him, that is, Christ, ought himselfe also to walke euen as hee walked. So when Saint Paul dehorts the Ephesians from their Heathenish conuersation, hee saith, But yee haue not so learned Christ, in sense the same with our Put on, in this place.
Christ is all good things to vs: He is our King, Priest, [Obs. 1] and Prophet; our Aduocate, our Lord, our friend, our brother, our husband, our way, our life, our meate, our apparell, as here.
Christ an absolute example; no man may bee so vnto vs: [Obs. 2] not Paul himselfe, for we are to be followers of him, * 1.10 onely as he is of Christ.
Here we are taught how to vse Christ, [Vse 1] so as wee may be the better for him. If a man haue money and vse it not, or a workeman tooles, or a scholler bookes, and know not how to
vse them, what profit are they? If thou wouldest vse Christ aright, put him on. It is not enough to beare him preach, for so did many of the Scribes and Pharisies: nor to be in his com∣pany, for so was Iudas: nor to eate at his table, for so did the man that had not put him on as his wedding garment, * 1.11 and was throwne for it into vtter darknes.
He must be put on as our Iustification, and Sanctification, as was said before.
He hath set vs in the way, and hath gone before vs in it, and as I may say, chalked it out for vs, shewing vs by his owne example how we should walke.
Many can be content to put him on as their Iesus, but not as their Lord, like naughty seruants letting their Master walk all alone: they will not follow him in humilitie, patience, so∣brietie, &c. But we are in vaine called Christians, if we doe not imitate Christ, who therefore called himselfe The way, vt conuersatio Magistri forma esset discipuli; * 1.12 that the conuersa∣tion of the Master might be the fashion of the disciple, said Leo. Ʋenit hominibus in magisterium & adiutorium: Christ came to men to helpe and rescue them as a Redeemer, and to teach them obedience as a Master, said Augustine.
He that walketh in drunkennesse, chambering, wanton∣nesse, &c. hath put on the Diuell, and not Christ; for hee nor did, nor taught so. No maruell if the Heathens commit∣ted whoredomes, robberies, drunkennesse, &c. for such things are reported of their gods whom they worshipped: For which cause said Menippus in Lucian, I approued and followed such things, for I thought the gods would neuer haue done such things, if they had not iudged them to bee good.
But in as much as the God whom we serue, is of pure eyes, and cannot behold iniquity; and the Master whom wee fol∣low, * 1.13 is an vnspotted Lambe, in whose mouth is no guile, who is holy, harmlesse and vndefiled; wee must needs be damned if we walke contrary vnto him.
Here are two sorts of men to be reproued. [Ʋse 2] First, they which put him not on at all; of whom in the former Vse.
Secondly, they which put him on, but so slouenly, as I may
say, and vnhansomly, that they haue no benefit by him.
Of these, some put him on as a cloake or loose garment, which they may cast off at their pleasure: these are holy day Christians, who at good times, or when they goe abroad in∣to some company will walke soberly; but at other times, and in other companies, are of another straine. But Christ must be a close well-girt garment to vs, neuer to be put off, by day or by night.
Some put him on their heads, and no farther, hauing knowledge, but being altogether without the power of god∣linesse.
Some put him on their tongues also, they will talke well, but their hands and feet and foule and naked.
Some are clad halfe way, as the messengers of Dauid to Hanun; in some things they are carefull, but in other they take liberty. But we must be cloathed with Christ from top to toe, that no part of our owne filthy ragges may be seene, nor our nakednesse; but that whatsoeuer is heard or seene in vs, may be of Christ. As a man is contained in his garments, * 1.14 and seene in their colour, so in him who imitates Christ, must nothing be seene but the workes of Christ.
Christ is a neat hansome straite garment, it is not easie to put him on. He that hath a bunch of pride, drunkennesse, can neuer get him ouer: all such things must be pared off, before it will fit vs.
In other garments, if they be too short, or too strait, they may be pieced or eeked out, or if too wide or long, they may be cut lesse or shorter, till they be fit to our bodies: but our Garment we speake of, may not be patcht nor curtailed, nor fitted to vs, but we must be fitted to that.
The Taylor fits our garments to our bodies, but we must be fitted to this garment. Christs will may not submit to ours, but ours to Christ.
Labour to put on Christ. [Ʋse 3] It is horrible to see what monstrous attires for fashion, and vnreasonable for charge, men and wo∣men daily inuent and weare beyond their abilitie and rancke, and contrary to their sexe: but the best and seemliest garment which is Christ, is not regarded or put on.
Men and women seeke for rich cloathing for their body, but esteeme not the nakednesse of their soules.
The reason of this strange negligence is this; Euery one would be esteemed and taken forth: they cannot for their vertue and honesty; and therefore they thinke to carry it away with their sine cloathes: these are they which lay their whole substance on their backes: these are they which bestow so much time in trimming and trussing, and cutting and pou∣dering, &c. that betweene the combe and the glasse, as they say, they can neuer finde leasure to serue God. These are they, who had rather the Common-wealth should bee out of order then their perriwigs and disordered apparell.
Apelles his prentice, not doing his part in the face of He∣len whom hee was to draw; all to be dawbed her apparell with gold and garish colours: * 1.15 to whom Apelles, O adolescens cum non posses pingere pulchram, pinxisti diuitem; O young man, seeing thou couldst not paint her beautifull, thou hast painted her rich. So many, their liues be not faire, therefore their clothes are rich.
It is our folly to esteem of men more for a gold ring, * 1.16 as Saint Iames speaketh, then for vertue: which hath caused this madnesse in many, more to seeke gay and costly garments, then to put on Christ. * 1.17
Our Sauiour sayd, that the body is more then the rayment: but I verely thinke that there are some so besotted, who if a rich suit of apparell, and vertue, nay Christ himselfe were set to sale; would rather giue a hundred pounds for the gay cloathes, then a hundred pence for Christ.
Let vs not esteeme of men but for their vertues, and let vs seeke to put on Christ rather then outward apparell.
In the morning when thou dressest thy selfe, examine whether thou haue put on Christ.
Thou art ashamed of a foule garment; and art thou not a∣shamed of drunkennes, whoredome, &c.
If thy garments need mending, doth not thy life much more?
Thou art ashamed of the nakednesse of thy body, and there∣fore thou puttest on apparell. Oh consider if the vildenesse of
thy heart, and thy wicked thoughts and desires were known, or it may bee, if that which thou didst this last night were knowne; what great cause shouldst thou haue to bee asha∣med? God knowes it; put on therefore the Lord Iesus Christ by faith and repentance, that thy spirituall nakednes may be couered from the sight of God and men.
Hast thou put on Christ? weare him honestly and carefully: [Vse 4] if thou puttest on thy bodie a new garment, thou keepest it from the dust and spots: so hauing put on Christ in thy bap∣tisme, suffer not that white garment to be spotted: otherwise, how wilt thou be able to bring it forth at the last day.
Muritta a Deacon, baptized one Elpidophorus, who af∣terward persecuted Muritta and others: but the Deacon brought out his white garment, and held it vp and shooke it against him, saying, These linnen garments Elpidophorus shal accuse thee at the comming of the Iudge of all, which I haue kept by me as a witnesse of thy Apostasie, &c.
Haue a care then that thou staine not thy profession, and dishonour his name after which thou art called. If thou hast put on Christ, wallow not with that pretious garment in the mire of thy former sinnes.
Gal. 3.27.
Iohn 4.34.
Beza schol. in ca. 3. ep. ad Gal. v. 27.
Lact. in carm. paschal.
Paulinus.
Amb. tom. 4. lib. de ijs qui initi∣antur mysterijs cap. 7. Zanchius in ex∣plic. ep. ad Eph. ca. 5.
Tertull. de resur∣rectione carnis.
Eccles. 9 8.
Reuel. 3.5.
1 Cor. 11.1.
Mat. 22.11.12.13.
Leo Mag. Ser. 5. in Natiuit. Dom. in ipso fine. Aug. Volusiano Epist. 3.
〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
Aquinas in loc.
Notat Clemens Alex. 3. paeda. ca. 10.
Iames 2.2.
Mat. 6.25.