To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
VERSE 7. For none of vs liueth to himselfe, and no man dyeth to himselfe.
THis verse hath another Reason to proue that the belee∣uing Gentiles and Iewes, the strong and the weake doe eate or not eate to the glory of God.
The reason is taken à generali intentione fidelium, from the generall intention of the faithful, which is to consecrate their whole life and death also to God.
Or you may say, it is taken à toto ad partes, from the whole to the parts, thus:
They who liue and die to the Lord, doe eate or not eat, &c. to the Lord. But both the strong and weake beleeuer doe liue and die to the Lord. Therefore &c.
For all our particular actions and passages, are compre∣hended vnder life and death, and therefore Peter Martyr calleth this Argument a generall cause: and Rollocke, a general reason, from the end of life and death.
Here are the Thing, Life and Death, and the Amplificati∣on; first, from the Subiect, None of vs; secondly, from the End, denyed, Not to our selues.
Life and Death: A liuing to righteousnesse, and dying to sinne is not here meant, though only such glorifie God.
Neither is here meant a good life, and a dying in sinne, as Chrysostome expoundeth: for this will not agree with that in the next verse, Wee are the Lords; for they which dye in sinne are not his children.
But here Naturall life and death are meant, comprehen∣ding generally all actions and passions, and whatsoeuer be∣falleth vs in life or death.
None of vs: Though all men liue and dye, yet here only the faithfull are vnderstood, which are set downe generally, in respect of themselues, None, and restrictiuely in respect of others, none of vs.
None liue, &c. True of right, but not of fact: but here of fact is to be vnderstood, and therefore he saith, None of vs: iudging charitably that they were beleeuers in truth as him∣selfe.
Paul from their thankesgiuing iudgeth charitably of them; [Obser.] so where thou seest any signes of goodnesse, iudge the best, if thou knowest not the contrary: The want of this charity is the cause of much contention.
Liueth, Dieth, To himselfe: The end is denyed, not to our selues, and it is affirmed in the next verse, To the Lord.
To liue and die to a mans selfe, may be taken Ciuilly, or Theo∣logically.
To liue to a mans selfe Ciuilly, hath two Expositions: First, to be suiiuris, as they say, to be his owne man, not to be sub∣iect
to the command and direction of others, as a seruant and bondmen are; and this is a Ciuill good; and therefore Paul saith to a bondman, if thou mayest be made free, vse it ra∣ther. Secondly, In liuing, onely to care for, and respect a mans solfe, and this is euill, for wee are not borne for our selues, but partly for our Countrey, partly for our pa∣rents, &c.
To liue and die to our selues, Theologically, both must bee denyed.
We may not liue to our selues, for we are not our owne, wee must liue to God, and respect him in all things, preferre his will before our owne, to be at his becke, and to refer all things to his glory.
To dye to a mans selfe, is to die so, as that wee respect no body, and no body respecteth or careth for vs: No man saith, Ah my brother.
To die to the Lord, is to acknowledge God, to trust in God, to haue hope of going to the Lord, to beare our sicknesse and death patiently, and to be content to glorifie God, in any man∣ner of death, which God shall appoint.
All Christians must liue and dye to the Lord, [Doctr.] not to them∣selues. 2. Cor. 5.9. Wherefore we labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 1. Pet. 42. That hee no lon∣ger should liue the rest of his time in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
Pauls drift is to perswade to vnity: [Vse 1] whomsoeuer therefore we see to haue a care to please God, and to auoid the sinnes of the times, wee ought not to iudge and censure them, and to contend with them, but to loue and embrace them; for with whom should a man liue louingly, if not with them, which liue to the Lord, ayming at nothing but how to please him?
Our whole life and Death must be to the glory of God: [Vse 2] Euery thought, euery word and deed, must bee directed to this maine end, the glory of God: at home, abroad, in the Church, in the market, in prosperitie, in aduer∣sitie.
Many wil shew a face of glorifying God, and liuing to him,
while they are taking, and while they thriue; but if God beginne to take, and in stead of health and riches, send the Crosse, then they murmure. It was falsely said of Iob, Doth he serue God for naught: let vs take heed it be not truly said of vs, that we serue God onely for our bellies.
Some would be contented to dye to the Lord, but haue no care to liue in the Lord: It was Balaams wish to dye well, but the onely way to this, is to liue well: True Christians both liue and dye to the Lord.
Hee that liues to God shall die to God; hee that liues to himselfe shall dye to himselfe: and it is a thousand to one, but that he which liues not to God, shall die to the diuell.
None of vs, [Ʋse 3] as if wicked men had no such care, as indeed they haue not: Here we learne that the conuersation of be∣leeuers, and the godly, must bee otherwise directed then is the conuersation of wicked and profane beasts.
Their practices become not vs: as they care not how they liue, so they care not how they dye, neither doth God care for them, which is fearefull. But all our care ought to bee for a good life, and a comfortable death.
Wouldst thou not dye like a drunkard? nor rise to the last iudgement, as the Reprobates? then liue not as they liue; to themselues, to Satan, to sinne, to vanity; but to the Lord.
A good death followes a good life; [Ʋse 4] and to liue well, is to liue to the Lord; and the first and hardest step of liuing to the Lord, is not to liue to our selues: Dimidium facti qui benè caepit habet: It is easy to liue to God, when we haue once lear∣ned not to liue to our selues.
If thou hast thoughts of seruing God; then thy selfe, that is, thy flesh will say; If thou wilt serue God, then bid adieu to thy pleasures, thy profits; thou must be hated, scorned, and suffer persecution. If thou canst ouercome this and deny thy selfe, thou hast wonne the goale; and hee that beginnes not here, will neuer proue Christs disciple, for thus saith our Sauiour, If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himselfe, and take vp his crosse and follow me. If a man be called in que∣stion for the Gospel, and haue not learned this lesson, he will renounce Christ, before he will dye for him.
Pride, couetousnesse, enuy, malice, reuenge, &c. were easily conquered and banisht, if we could deny our selues.
Thou hast opposed the Church a long time, refusing to kneele at the Sacrament, and to submit to orders established: It appeares that they are lawfull; and thou art not able to gaine-say it; and yet thou yeeldest not: What is the caus? thou hast not yet learned to deny thy selfe: Thy heart tels thee that it is a disgrace to bee conuinced to haue erred all this while, especially hauing beene peraduenture violent a∣gainst the orders.
Now I beseech thee, whosoeuer thou art that standest out in these things, whether thou be Minister or other, that thou wilt examine thy heart hereupon: Examine whether thou doest respect thy credit before men, more then the glory of the truth, and the peace of the Church.
Yea let vs all examine whether we would not sooner, be∣ing put to it, offend or deny Christ for our commodity sake, then lose our commodity for Christs sake.
Paul sometime complained, that all seeke their owne, and not the things which are Iesus Christs. If we doe so, preserring our base dunghill names before the duty wee owe to God: will not Christ say to vs at the last day; Nay, thou prefer∣redst thy profit, pleasure, before me, thine owne will before mine, thy credit before the glory of my name, thou hast thy reward: what shall become of vs if we be so found?
Let vs therefore deny our selues: let vs giue our selues to the Lord and to his Word: and if any motion, thought, in∣clination, affection, desire, arise in our hearts contrary to Christ and his word, let vs kill it and cast it out, as a most vile enemy, confederate with the Diuell.
Aquinas. Caluinus. Pareus.
1. Cor. 7.21.
Luke 9.23.
Philip. 2.21.
2 Cor. 8.5.