The Marrow and Juice of 260 Scriptures, Part 51
The 19. Sonday after Trinity.Memorable examples of faith,
Reason and occasion of the choice of these Scriptures,AS faith is the gift of God, so it is one of the principall fruits of the spirit, and therefore necessarily and most fitly to be commended vntounto vsus by the fathers of the Church among these and other fruits of the spirit.
Sūme of the 2, first Lessons,In our two scriptures of the old Testament, wee hauehave seuerall e…amples of the miraculous power of faith. In the first of the new, a dehortation from infidelity, from walking in ignorance, and in all the lustes of the Gentiles, & works of the flesh. In the second we… hauehave an example of an euangelicall patient cured of his spirituall & bodily diseases,Sūme of the Epistle & Gospel by the euangelicall and Arch-physition of soule & body, that God of louelove: yea, that God which is louelove, with that his heauenly medicament of a true, precious, simple, and liuely faith, which he also gaue to the patient.
Mor. Prayer. 1 Les, Daniel. 3.The third chapter of Daniel is the first lesson for morning prayer, recording these principall occurrents.
Parts.The first is as loathing Nebuchadnezzars decree for the worshipping of that golden image which he had set vp, 1 Nebuchadnezzers wicked decree,ve. 1. to the end of the 7.
2 The 3, children which would not obey it, are condemned to the hote furnace,The second is how Shadrach, Meshek and Abednego the Iewes, are accused by the Chaldeans vntounto the King, for the breach of that idolatrous statute, who being conuented, examined, and found guilty, are condemned vntounto the hote fiery fornace, vers. 8 ad 23.
3 God deliuereth his three seruants out of this danger,The third is how the three seruants of God are by faith deliuered from the persecutors elementall fire, though seuen times in heate graduated and increased. Whereupon the Monarch and his counsell maruaileth, praiseth God for the same, & maketh a grieuous penal statute against the blasphemers of the God of Shad…ach, Meshek, & Abednego, & he promotes these constant men in the prouince and Monarchy of Babel, A remarkable example in Daniel,ve. 24. to the end of the 33. the end of the chapter.
The 6. chapter of Daniels prophesie,Euen. prayer. 1 Less, Daniel, 6. is the first Lesson for Euening prayer, containing these principall incidents.Parts.
First,1 An act is made by the malicious nobles to bring Daniel within the compasse of his life, how the enuious Officers and Councellors of Darius, the Monarch of the Medes and Pesians, deuise an act of praying and petitioning vntounto Darius onelyonly, and not vntounto God. Of the breach whereof because Daniel, whom they hated, is culpable, he therefore is conuented, found guilty, and must abide the penalty of being cast into the Lyons denne, vers. 1. to the end of the 18.
Secondly,2 Daniel is miraculously preserued both frō the Lyons, and his Wooluish accusers, how Daniel by faith in God is deliuered from this danger, as the three seruants of God Shadrak, Meshak, & Abednego were from the fire preserued miraculously, though his accusers were suddenly by the same Lyons destroyed, and deuoured, vers. 19. to the end of the 24.
Thirdly, Darius makes a law,3 Darius his law made for a generall feare of God, that all people shall feare and tremble before Daniels God, giuing most diuine reasons for this his law, verse. 25. to the end of the 28. which is the end of the chapter.
S. Paul Ephes 4.17. ad 32.Epistle Ephes. 4, 17.32. Scope of the text. the end of the chapter, with his old rhetoricke and logicke, perswades & proues to the Ephesians, that though they were Gentiles, yet were they not to liue and walke as other Gentiles in the vanity of their minde. But sith we are all (saith hee) to meete together in the vnity of faith and knowledge of the sonne of God (when wee are once gathered together by the Ministery of the word, and working of the Spirit:) Therefore your walking (saith hee) must not bee as theirs, which hauing their cogitation darkened, are strangers, from the life of God, through ignorance, because of the hardnesse of their heart.
First therefore,1 A generall dehortation. hee being througly warmed with the zeale of Gods spirit, makes a long and most zealous (though but a generall) dehortation. ve. 17. to the end of the 24.
2 Speciall dehortation.Secondly, from this generall,Holy obedience must be ioyned with true faith. hee drawes and driues many specials, vers. 25. to the end of the 32. which is the end of the chapter.
Parts of the generall,In the dehortation, that the heathenish life might bee the more loathsome to them, hee
1. Describes, and paints it out in his colours, vers. 17, 18.19.
2. He opposeth the Christian life, and the learning of Christ, vntounto that life, ver. 20.21. making also a true description of the Christian life, which is the new life, the renewed life, the life of the new man, of the regenerate man, verse. 22.23.24.
His speciall dehortation is to many speciall ends:Special dehortation is to many special ends, from many speciall vices, for that they may affect diuers vertues, he dehorts from sundry vices:
1. To the intent that eueryevery one may speake the truth to his neighbour, he dehorts from lying.1 From lying, vers. 25.
2. That they may be peaceable in spirit, he forbids sinfull and diuellish anger,2 From diuellish anger, vers. 26.27.
3 From idlenes which is a kind of theft,3. That men may affect an honest contentation with their owne goods lawfully gotten, hee forbids idlenesse, which is a kinde of stealing, and a cause of stealing, and commaunds labour, that thereby a man may bee the better fitted and enabled to giuegive cheerefully, then to take vnlawfully, vers. 28.
4 From corrupt talke,4. That men may speake, do, and thinke to good purpose, vntounto edifying, that they may speake peaceably, kindly, and to Gods glory, he 1. Forbids all corrupt communication. vers. 29. all bitternesse, anger, and wrath, ve 31. And 2. hee commands curtesie, tender heartednesse, and forgiuing one another, euen as God (saith he) for Christs sake forgaue you, vers. 32.
Gospel. Math. 9.1. Scope of the text.That great God of louelove, euen our Sauiour Iesus Christ, who in the last daies Gospel, did teach vsus to louelove him aboue all, & in the first place: and our neighbours as our selues (for his sake) in the next or second place: He, I say, being the fountaine of goodnesse,Christ is mercifull to the faithfull beleeuers. cannot but shew it in his owne example to a beleeuer as appeareth in this text. Matth. 9. vers. 1. to the end of the 8. by his healing of a bedred man, the man sicke of the palsie.
In the recording of this most charitable deed,Parts of this scripture, S. Matthew sets downe,
1. The miracle1 The miracle, in the first 7. verses.
2. The effect of the miracle2 The effect of the miracle, in the 8. verse.
In the miracle wee may note
1. The description thereof in the 1. and 2. verses.Parts of the miracle,
2. Christs beating b…cke of that secret reproach and vniust scandall which they brought against the worker of this miracle from the third verse to the end of the 7.Parts of the description,
The description conteines circumstance.
1. Of occasion being two-fold.
1. Either Christs comming to his owne citty, vers. 1.2.
2. Or their bringing to him a man sicke of the palsie.
2. Christs act so diuine, to wit, Remission of sinnes, filling the Paralytickes heart and soule so full of comforte: Sonne, bee of good comfort, thy sinnes are forgiuen thee. vers. 2.
Christ repelles their slander (though it were but in their thought.)Christs repel—ling their slander, though it were but in their thoughts, three wayes,
1. By reproouing it, ve. 3. and 4.
2. By confirming his reproofe by this position deliuered by way of a question: Whether is it easier to say: Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee, (which are the cause of maladies) then to say: Arise from thy lamenesse, and walke, vers. 5.
3. By applying this proposition, in shewing them the vse hereof, and of his speech: And that yee may know that the sonne of man hath authority in earth to forgiue sinnes, &c. vers. 6.
This authority and power he putteth in execution by effect of his commandement: And the palsie man arose, and departed to his owne house. vers. 7.
Effect of the miracle,The effect which this miracle tooke, is two-fold,The doctrine of repentance is vrged.
1. The multitude maruailed.
2. They glorified God, yeelding a reason for both, because he had giuen such power to men, vers. 8.