The Marrow and Juice of 260 Scriptures, Part 45
The 13. Sonday after Trinity.
THe name of the Lord is a strong Tower to his people,Summe of the two first Lessōs for this day. and those shall not bee guiltlesse which take this name in vaine, as it will appeare in Iosiah that good king, who rightly esteemed of Gods word and Sacraments, and of Senacheribs punishment for his rayling and blasphemy.
Wherefore the Scriptures of the new Testament doe also continue to shew in other doctrines and examples that the ministery of the Gospell,Sūme of the Epistle & Gospel that exceeding and glorious ministery (the most excellent way and meanes to publish Gods name, whose substance also is the promise of saluation to all true beleeuers) hath the inseparable concomitance, dependance and accident of obedience to God, and charity to our neighbours: without both which, it is (as without faith) impossible to please God.Mor. prayer. 1 Less. 2. Kin. 19
The first Lesson for morning prayer, 2. Kings. 19.Parts. containeth these principall incidents and occurrents.1 Hezekiahs message to Esay the Prophet concerning Senacheribs blasphemy.
The first is as touching that message which king Hezekiah sent by his chiefe Steward to the Prophet Isaih concerning the blasphemy of Senacherib, & the comfortable answer which the prophet returned to the king from the Lord, ve. 1 to the end of the 7.The good King Iosiah made a godly reformation.
2 Rabshakeh sent other, & worse messages of blasphemy to Hezekiah, who praieth to God against the blasphemy, for the auenging thereof.In the second part of the chapter is related, how Rabshakeh sent other messengers to Hezekiah, with a worse and more blasphemous message then before. Which letter being read of Hezekiah, he spread it before the Lord in the Lords house, praying to the Lord to auenge this blasphemy, and to blesse and preserue his people out of the hands of the king of Ashur, ve. 8. ad 19,
The third part of this chapter containes an answer to this zealous praier of Hezekiah, 3 Gods answer to Hezekiahs zealous prayer.sent from the Lord by the hands of Isaiah, concerning the safety and preseruation of the people and citty of Ierusalem, and the destruction intended and denounced against the king of Ashur, and his army, ver. 20. to the end of the 34.
4 The effecting of Gods denoūced iudgements.The fourth and last part relateth the effecting and accomplishment of Gods denounced iudgements vponupon the kings army, and vponupon his owne person, by the Angels destroying of an hundred fourescore and fiue thousand, by the slight of Senacherib himselfe, and by his owne sonnes massacring him as hee was about his idolatrous seruice, verse 35.36.37. the end of the chapter.
Euen. prayer. 1, Les, 2, Kin, 23The first lesson for Euening prayer 2. Kings. 23. containeth many excellent and remarkeable records.
Parts.First how the yong king Iosiah did reade the law of God himselfe,1 Iosiah after the ouerthrowing of all idolatry, reades the Law. after hee had ouerthrowne idolatry, and destroied the idolatrous Priests with the Coniurers, &c. vers. 1. to the end of the 28.
Secondly, how the dayes of this good yong king were cut off by Pharaoh Necho king of Aegypt,2 The vntimely death of this godly yong Prince, ve. 29.30.
The third is of the short time and reigne of Iehoahaz sonne, and how hardly Pharaoh Nechoh dealt with him and his land,3 The short reigne of Iehoahaz, and made Eliakim (whom he called Iehoiakim) king in stead of Iosiah his father, whose Chronicle also is briefly set downe, vers. 31. to the end of the 37. the end of the chapter.
Christ performes his promise to the beleeuers, as iudgments vponupon the vngodlyNow then as the former scriptures hauehave taught vsus,Coherence of the two former chapters with the Epistle. that God is iust in his iudgement against blasphemers and idolaters, & true in his promise for the preseruation of his Church and the members thereof, liuing vnderunder,Epistle and in the time of the Law: So Saint Paul in the portion of scripture chosen for this dayes Epistle, Galat. 3.16. to the end of the 22. vers.Gal. 3.16. ad 22.Parts.
First proues that the interstitiall time of the 430. yeares betweene Gods making of the promise to Abraham, A 1. proposition. Time changeth not the purpose or promise of God. Confirmation of the 1. proposition by two reasons,and the giuing of the Law, could not disanull the Couenant, that was before confirmed of God, in respect of Christ, that it should make the promise of none effect. This is the first proposition. vers. 17.
The first reason is in the 16. verse. à testimonio scripturae: Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to thy seeds, &c.
The second is ab absurdo: If inheritance of life eternall, and whatsoeuer God hath promised to the beleeuers, were of the law, then it cannot, or could not bee by the promise: for it were absurd to hold, that it should bee by the law, and by the promise. ver. 18.
His second proposition is concerning the vse of the law,A 2. proposition concerning the vse of the law. in the meane while till the coming of Christ, and full performance of the promise. Where the Apostle answers the question, or preuents an obiection: Wherefore then serueth the Law? it was added, because of transgression, till the seed came, &c. verse. 19.20.
The third proposition is concerning iustification by faith, A 3. proposition is as touching iustification by faith.which is also deliuered in the preuenting of an obiection, or answering to a question, which may arise out of the former arguments. The question is concerning the opposition, or contradiction betweene the Law and the promise. The answer whereunto, is, foreign It may not so bee: His argument to proue the proposition.or as it is vsually read God forbid in the negatiue part. Wherunto he frames this argument, & inferres the truth of iustification by faith. For if there had bene a law giuen, which could hauehave giuen life, surely righteousnesse should hauehave beene by the law. But there is no such law, therefore the Scripture hath concluded all vnderunder sinne,Christ describes true righteousnesse. that the promise by the faith of Iesus, should bee giuen to them that beleeue. vers. 21.22.
Our Lord Iesus Christ in the GospellGospell Luk. 10.23. to the end of the 37. vers. Luk. 10.23 ad 37will instruct vsus effectually in the true righteousnesse apprehended by faith in Christ bringing forth fruits of godlinesse to God,Sūme & scope of the Gospell for this day. and charity to our neighbour. In these verses he wil make vse of the former miracles, in telling the Disciples how happy they were that had seene and heard (or rather beleeued in him whom they had seene and heard) and by teaching of the Scribe, he wil proceed to teach the Disciples more lessons of iustice and iustification, and perswade them to the exercising of charitable workes,Parts of this text. without which none can attaine eternall life, S. Luke therefore doth heere set downe in writing, for our instruction, a two-fold speech which Christ made. First, Christs conference with his Disciples,1 With his Disciples, ve. 23.24. Secondly the conference that he had with the Scribe,2 With the Scribe, in the 13. verses following.
His comfortable conference with the Disciples,Among many worthy comforts which he vouchsafed vntounto his Disciple, in reuealing that vntounto them which others knew not, this is one notable consolation which in secret he pronounceth vntounto them,
First, that their eyes were blessed, as ve. 23,
Secondly, that they were blessed and happy, aboue the happinesse of Prophets and Kings, ve. 24. This is the speech which Christ made to them.
The colloquy betweene the Lawyer & him, consisting of two questions,The conference or colloquy betweene the Lawyer and him is two-fold.
1. A question moued by a certaine expounder of the law, and answered in the 25.26.27.28. vers.
2. Another question propounded by the Lawyer, and answered by our Sauiour, being the substance of the Gospell, the perfect preacher of righteousnesse, and the practiser of mercy, as in the rest of the verses.
How eternall … is attained.The first question is concerning the manner and way of attaining euerlasting life,True faith, and true charity, makes true righteousnesse. ve. 25. Our Lords answer is by asking another question, vers. 26. which the young Scribe answers, ve. 27. and Christ censures the answer, and determines the question, ve. 28.
The Lawyers pride which he brought with him,The second question which the Lawyer made, and the good opinion hee conceiued of himselfe by Christs commending of him, occasioned him to aske Christ a second question: Who then is my neighbour? vers. 29.
He receiues his answer by our Lords vttering of a parable of the trauailer which fell among Theeues, from the 30. verse to the end of the 35. Whereupon our Sauiour examines the Lawyer the second time: Which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbour, &c. verse 36. The Lawyer answered in the former part of the 37. verse: He that shewed mercy.
Iesus out of this his answer, directs him how to liue here,Christ answer… the first question, & applies the second answer to the Scribes conscience. that hee may liue for euer hereafter, and so answeres his maine & great question propounded at the first, and this he doth in the othe part of the 37. vers. in these words: Go and do thou likewise.