The second part of this Epistle, moral.
He exhorteth them to mortification of the body. 2. to renouation of the mind. 3. to keeping of
vnitie by humilitie, 6. to the right vsing of their guifts and functions, 9. to many other
good actions, 17. and specially to louing of their enemies.
1.
⋮
The Epistle vpon the 1. Sunday after the Epiphanie.
I BESEECH you therfore, Brethren, by the mercie of God,
*
Phil. 4,18.
that you exhibit your bodies
a liuing Host holy, pleasing God, your reasonable seruice.
2. And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newnes of your mind,
*
Eph. 5,17.
1. Thess. 4,3.
that you may proue what the good, & acceptable, & perfect wil of God is.
3. For I say by the grace that is giuen me, to al that are among you,
✟
None must presume to medle aboue the measure of God's guift, or out of the
compasse of his state and vocation.
not to be more
wise then behoueth to be wise, but to be wise vnto sobrietie,
*
1. Corinth. 12,11.
Eph. 4,7.
to euery one as God hath deuided
the measure of faith.
4. For as in one body we haue many members, but al the members haue not one action;
5. so we being many, are one body in Christ, & each one anothers members.
6.
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The Epistle vpon the 2. Sunday after the Epiphanie.
And hauing guifts, according to the grace that is giuen vs, different, either
✟
Prophecie is interpretation of the Scriptures, which is according to the rule
of faith, when it is not against the right faith, when it is profitable to
edifie charitie, as S. Augustine speaketh li. 3. Doct. Chr. c. 27. and
li. 1. c. 36. and in effect he saith the same li. 12. Confess. c. 18.
vnto c. 32.
prophecie according to the rule of faith,
7. or ministerie in ministring, or he that teacheth in doctrine,
8. he that exhorteth in exhorting, he that giueth in simplicitie, he that ruleth in
carefulnes, he that sheweth mercie in cheerfulnes.
9.
✟
dilectio
Loue without simulation. Hating euil, cleauing to good.
10. Louing the charitie of the brotherhood one toward another, with honour preuenting
one another.
11. In carefulnes not slouthful. In spirit feruent. Seruing our Lord.
12. Reioycing in hope. Patient in tribulation. Instant in praier.
13. Communicating to the
✟
'memories'
necessities of the Saints. Pursuing hospitalitie.
14. Blesse them that persecute you: blesse, and
✟
Cursing is a vice wherunto the common people is much giuen, who often curse
them on whom they can not otherwise be reuenged. They may see here that it is a
great fault.
curse not.
15. To reioyce with them that reioyce, to weep with them that weep.
16. Being of one mind one toward another. Not minding high things, but consenting to
the humble.
⋮
The Epistle vpon the 3. Sunday after the Epiphanie.
Be not wise in your owne conceit.
17. To no man rendring euil for euil. Prouiding good things not only before God, but
also before al men.
18. If it may be, as much as is in you, hauing peace with al men.
19. Not reuenging your selues, my Deerest, but giue place vnto wrath, for it is written:
*
Deut. 32,35.
Reuenge to me; I wil reward, saith our Lord.
20. but
*
Pro. 25,21.
if thine enemie hunger, giue him meat: if he thirst, giue him drinke. For,
doing this, thou shalt heap coales of fire vpon his head.
21. Be not ouercome of euil, but ouercome in good the euil.
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. XII.
1. A liuing Host.)
Lest men should thinke by the former discourse of God's eternal predestination, that
no reward were to be had of good life and workes, the Apostle now earnestly
recommendeth to them holinesse of life.
1. A liuing Host.)
The body chastised by penance is a grateful Sacrifice.
Man maketh his body a Sacrifice to God by giuing it to suffer for him, by
chastising it with fasting, watching, and such like, and by occupying it in
workes of charitie & vertue to God's honour. Whereby appeareth how acceptable
these workes are to God and grateful in his fight, being compared to a Sacrifice,
which is an high seruice done to him.
6. According to the rule of faith.)
The Apostolical rule or Analogie of faith.
By this, and many places of holy writ, we may gather, that the Apostles by the
Holy Ghost, before they were sundred into diuers Nations, set downe among
themselues a certaine Rule and forme of faith and doctrine, conteining not only
the Articles of the Creed, but al other principles, grounds, and the whole
platforme of al the Christian religion. Which Rule was before any of the Books
of the New Testament were written, & before the faith was preached among the
Gentils: by which not only euery other inferiour Teacher's doctrine was tried,
but al the Apostles, & Euangelists preaching, writing, interpreting (which is
here called prophecying) were of God's Church approued and admitted, or
disproued and reiected. This forme, by mouth and not by Scripture, euery Apostle
deliuered to the countrie by them conuerted.
For keeping of this forme, the
Apostle before praised the *Romanes, and afterward earnestly warneth them by no
man's plausible speach to be drawen from the same. This he commendeth to Timothee,
calling it his **Depositum. For not holding this fast and sure, he blameth the
***Galatians, further also denouncing to himself or an Angel that should write, teach,
or expound against that which they first receiued, Anathema, and commanding alwaies
to beware of them that taught otherwise.
For feare of missing this line of truth, himself notwithstanding he had the Holy
Ghost, yet lest he might haue preached in vaine and lost his labour, he went to
conferre with Peter and the rest. For the fast keeping of this Rule of truth, the
Apostles held aCouncels, and their Successours by their example. For the holding of
this Rule, and by the measure therof, were al the holy Scriptures written. For and
by the same, al the glorious Doctours haue made their sermons, commentaries, and
interpretations of God's word: al writings and interpretations no otherwise
admitted nor deemed to be of God, but as they be agreeable to this Rule.
The Heretikes phantastical rule or rather rules of faith, many & diuers one from
another.
And this is the sure Analogie and measure of faith, set downe and commended to vs
euery where for the Apostles tradition; and not the phantastical rule or square
that euery Sect-maister pretendeth to gather out of the Scriptures falsely
vnderstood and wrested to his purpose, by which they iudge of Doctour, Scripture,
Church and al. Arius had by that meanes a rule of his owne, Luther had his false
weights, and Caluin his owne also. According to which seueral measure of euery Sect,
they haue their expositions of God's word: and in England (as in other infected
Countries) they kept of late an apish imitation of this prophecying which S. Paul
here and in other places speaketh of, and which was an exercise in the primitiue
Church, measured not by euery man's peculiar spirit, but by the former Rule of
faith first set downe by the Apostles. And therfore al this new phantastical
Prophecying and al other preaching in Caluins's schoole, is iustly by this note of
the Apostle condemned, for that it is not according to, but quite against the Rule
of faith.
*c. 6,16.
c. 16,17.
**1. Tim. 6,20.
***Gala. 1,6.
Gala. 2,1.
aAct. 15,6.