The Marrow and Juice of 260 Scriptures, Part 50
God will not heare obstinate wicked men,The 18. Sonday after Trinity.
IN the two former chapters for our two first Lessons out of Ezekiels prophecie,Summe of the 2 first Lessons. the fathers of our Church will demonstrate vntounto vsus,
First, that God is so highly displeased, with his people the Iewes, for their disobedience, contempt of his word, and pollution of his Saboths, &c. that 1. Their praiers should be abhominable to him. 2. Yea that their filthy and polluted citty Ierusalem, that pot whose s…umme is therein, should also be destroyed.
Secondly, in the two latter portions taken out of the new Testament, they will 1. Teach the Corinthians, and in them,Summe of the Epistle & Gospell vsus, and all other Gentiles, to praise the Lord our God, for the diuers gifts and graces of God, bestowed vponupon vsus in Christ Iesus In whom we are made rich in all things, 2. And according to this thankefulnesse to shew our louelove to God, and our charity to our neighbours.
The first Lesson for this Morning prayer, Ezekiel 20.Mor. Prayer. 1 Les. Ezech. 20. comprehends these chiefe things of note and consideration.Parts
First, that God refuseth to answer the forgetfull and blasphemous Iews,1 God will not answer the blasphemōus Iews, when they shall come to require of him, and pray to him, vers. 1.2.3.
Secondly, God causeth the Prophet to let them see that herein hee dealeth but in iustice with them,2 God herein deales iustly, & not rigorously with them, by reason of their owne forgetfulnes of his benefits & continuall prouoking of him to indignation by their sinnes, whereof hee nameth some particulars, as first their idolatry with the idols of Aegypt: yea, after that the Lord had shewed his fauour towards them, and powred foorth his wrath vponupon the Aegyptians themselues which were their enemies, verse. 4. ad 9.
2, Their rebellion in the wildernesse,The Iewes destruction of themselues. after he had brought them out of Aegyp…, ve. 10. to the end of the 26.
3 The Iews are the cause themselues of the multiplication of Gods iudgements,Thirdly, the Lord by his Prophet telleth them how they are the meanes of the augmenting of his iudgements, by adding of more blasphemies (as they are called, ver. 27,) vntounto their former iniquities. And that their continuance in idolatry, is the cause why hee giues them ouer to their owne hearts lusts, to be polluted with their idols, vers. 27. to the end of the 39.
In the fourth place the Lord offers mercy to the remnant4 God offers mercy to the remnant, that shall returne from the captiuity to serue him in Ierusalem, ve. 40. to the end of the 44.
In the last part of the chapter the Lord denounceth a grieuous iudgement against the people of the South,5 Iudgements denounced against the people of the south meant and vnderstood by the forest of the South, vers. 45. to the end of the 48. the end of the chapter.
In the first Lesson for this euening prayer, Ezech. 24.Eue. Prayer. 1, Les, Ezech, 24 the Lord by two parables vttered by his Prophet (for the surer confirmation of the execution of his iudgements,Scope of the chapter,) foretels the vtter destruction of Ierusalem.
Parts.Two parables,The first parable is of the seething pot,1 Of a seething pot, vers. 1. to the end of the 14.
The second of Ezechiels wife,2 Of Ezeckiels wife, which dyed, for whom God forbad him to mourne, vers. 15. to the end of the 27. which is the end of the chapter.
Epistle. 1. Cor. 1, 4, ad 8, Scope of it,The third portion of Scripture is full of comfort to the beleeuers, the Gentiles, as the former two were full of terror to the defectiue Iewes, and idolaters of Iudah and Ierusalem. It is written 1. Cor, 1.4.Parts. to the end of the 8 vers. and is (after the Apostles salutation and praier to God for them)
First, an holy gratulation and thankesgiuing1 Thanksgiuing to God in a part of the 4. vers.
Secondly, the motiues and grounds of his thankesgiuing2 Grounds of his thankesgiuing, are propounded, which are,
The beleeuers are comforted, and they praise God for it1. The grace and fauour of God which is giuen them in Iesus Christ, as in the rest of the 4. vers.
2. The fruits of this grace manifesting so blessed a tree, That in all things ye are made ready in him, in all kinde of speech, and in all knowledge. as vers. 5.6. and 7.
3. Motiue is Gods finishing, confirming and establishing of this commenced worke in them vntounto the end, and to this end & purpose, (which is the chiefest end) that yee may bee blamelesse in the day of our Lord Iesus Christ, verse. 8.
The subiect matter of the Gospel, written Math. 22. ve. 34. to the end of the 46.Gospel. Math. 22.34. ad 46. chosen for this day, is concerning a principall fruite of the spirit, which is louelove, heeretofore so often commanded and commended,Scope of the text. and now vrged by our Sauiour vponupon a question moued by a tempting Lawyer, vers. 35.36 and answered by our Sauiour, vers. 37. to the end of the 40.Analyse, Why Christ propounds the question concerning his diuinity,
And because God is the principall obiect of this louelove, Christ Iesus the sonne of God, (who knew the Scribes heart, which tempted him, and the Pharisies ignorance in one of the maine grounds of Theologie, to wit, Christs eternall diuinity) demaundes a question of the assembly of Pharisies, whereby he puts them also to silence, as he did the Saducies in the 34. verse of this chapter.
The question is, what thinke ye of Christ? Question, Whose sonne is hee? vers. 41.42.
This question they answer after a sort, but would not stand by their answer, Answer. when once it was infringed by Christ, vers. 43.44.45.
Whereupon our Lord displaieth and discouereth their weaknesse and vnfitnesse.Their weaknes in answering, is discouered,
1. Both in their answering him for that time. And
2. In propounding any questions vntounto him for euer after▪ vers. 46.