Commentary Upon Ephesians 1, Title page – To the reader
A COMMENTARIE VPONUPON THE FIRST Chapter of the Epiſtle of Saint PAVL, written to the EPHESIANS.
WHEREIN, BESIDES the Text fruitfully explained: ſome principall Controuerſies about Predeſtination are handled, and diuers Arguments of Arminius are examined.
By Mr PAVL BAYNE, ſometime Preacher of Gods Word at Saint ANDREVVES in CAMBRIDGE.
PHIL. 2.13.14.
Worke out your owne ſaluation with feare and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you, both to will, and to doe, of his good pleaſure.
LONDON: Printed by THOMAS SNODHAM, for ROBERT MILBOVRNE, and are to be ſold in Pauls Churchyard, at the Signe of the Beare. 1618.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Sir HENRY YELVERTON Knight, His Maieſties Atturney Generall, all happineſſe of this life, and the next.
MOst reſpected Sir, I need not certifie you bow ſingular is commendation of greatneſſe it is, to hauehave goodneſſe linked with it; whether it be that goodnes which is conuerſant in doing kinde offices to the liuing, or to the dead: Nay ſurely, that good which is ſtretched forth to the liuing, in ſome regards is the inferiour of the two, as which may eyther in heart or deed be recompenced; but that which is performed toward the deceaſed, can not at all by him that is not, be known; much leſſe can it be any way requited: OnelyOnly it remaines as an high commendation to the liuing, that they ſtill exerciſe acts of LoueLove and goodneſſe toward ſuch as are departed this preſent life. This I ſpeake, Right worſhipfull Sir, to prouoke you at this time to vouchſafe the gracious aſpect of your countenance, and your worthy Patronage to this enſuing Commentary of a godly learned man, now at reſt in the Lord. He was once of the ſame Colledge where your Worſhip began to lay the foundation of your owne ſtudies; and was not vnknown to your ſelfe: In which regards I hauehave made the bolder with you, in becomming an humble and earnest ſuiter, that you would be pleaſed of your goodnes to ſuffer this Orphane-Treatiſe to repoſe it ſelfe vnderunder your wings; whereof, if it ſhall pleaſe you, Worthy Sir, (as your many and great affaires will permit,) to reade ſome paſſage or place, I doubt not but you ſhall meet with matters, which at once may both profit and delight you. The Author whileſt hee liued, had an indiſpoſition and antipathy to the Preſſe; but ſince his death, diuers learned men hauehave preſſed mee, not to conceale ſome writings of his, which came to my hands; yea, they hauehave challenged mee, as indebted to the Church and common good, touching the publication of this part eſpecially: Accept therefore, I pray you, Right Worſhipfull Sir, my tendred duty of Dedicating this worke to your name; which, if it ſhall pleaſe you to doe, I ſhall reſt exceedingly bounden to pray for the continuance and increaſe of all proſperity to you, from the God who is neuer wanting to honour thoſe who honour him.
Your Worſhips ready bounden to all good ſeruices, E. C.
To the Reader.
NOtwithſtanding the worlds complaint, of the ſurfeit of Bookes (haſty wits being ouer-forward to vent their vnripe and miſhapen conceits;) yet in all ages there hath been and will be neceſſary vſes of holy Treatiſes, applyable to the varietie of occaſions of the time; becauſe men of weaker conceits, cannot ſo eaſily of themſelues diſcerne how one truth is inferred from another, and proued by another, eſpecially when truth is controuerted by men of more ſubtile and ſtronger wits. Whereupon, as Gods truth hath in all ages beene oppoſed in ſome branches of it; ſo the diuine prouidence that watcheth ouer the Church, raiſed vp ſome to ſence the Truth, and make vp the breach: Men gifted proportionably to the time, and as well furniſht to fight Gods battels, as Sathans champions hauehave beene to ſtand for him: neither hauehave any points of Scripture beene more exactly diſcuſſed, then thoſe that hauehave beene moſt ſharpely oppugned, oppoſition whetting both mens wits, and induſtry, and in ſeuerall ages, men hauehave beene ſeuerally exerciſed. The ancienteſt of the fathers had to deale with them without (the Pagans,) and eſpecially with proud Heretickes, that made their owne conceits the meaſure of holy truth, beleeuing no more then they could comprehend in the articts of the Trinity, and natures of Chriſt; whence they bent their forces that way, and for other matter wrote more ſecurely. Not long after, the enemies of grace, and flatterers of nature, ſtirred vp Saint Auguſtine to challenge the doctrine of Gods predeſtination and grace, out of their hands, which he did with great ſucceſſe as fitted with grace, learning, and wit, for ſuch a conflict, and no Scriptures are more faithfully handled by him, then thoſe that were wreſted by his oppoſites, and ſuch as made for the ſtrengthning of his owne cauſe. In other writings hee tooke more liberty. His Schollers proſper. Fulgentius and others intereſſed themſelues in the ſame quarrell.
In proceſſe of time, men deſirous of quiet, and tyred with controuerſies, began to lay aſide the ſtudy of Scriptures, and hearken after an eaſier way of ending ſtrife, by the determination of one man, (the Biſhop of Rome) whom virtually they made the whole Church; ſo the people were ſhut vp vnderunder ignorance and implicite faith, which pleaſed them well, as eaſing them of labour of ſearch, as vponupon the ſame irkeſomeneſſe of trouble, in the Eaſterne parts, they yeelded to the confuſion and abomination of Mahometiſme.
And leaſt Schollers ſhould hauehave nothing to doe, they were ſet to tye, and vntie Schoole-knots, and ſpinne queſtions out of their owne braine, in which brabbles they were ſo taken vp, that they ſleightly looked to other matters; as for queſtions of weight, they were ſchooled to reſolue all into the deciſiue ſentence of the ſea Apoſtolicke; the authoritie of which they bent their wits to aduance; yet then Wiſedome found children to iuſtifie her: for Scriptures that made for authority of Princes, and againſt vſurpation of Popes, were well cleared by Occam, Marſilius, Patauinus, and others, as thoſe of predeſtination and grace by Ariminenſis, Bradwardine, and their followers, againſt Pelagianiſme then much preuailing.
At length the Apoſtaſie of Popery ſpread ſo far, that God in pitty to his poore Church, raiſed vp men of inuincible courage, vnwearied paines, and great skill in Tongues and Arts, to free Religion, ſo deepely inthralled; from whence it is that we hauehave ſo many iudicious Tractates and Commentaries in this latter age. And yet will there be neceſſary vſe of further ſearch into the Scriptures, as new hereſies ariſe, or old are reuiued, and further ſtrengthned. The conuiction of which, is then beſt, when their crookedneſſe is brought to the ſtreight rule of Scriptures to be diſcouered. Beſides, new expoſitions of Scriptures will be vſefull, in reſpect of new temptations, corruptions in life, and caſes of conſcience, in which the minde will not receiue any ſatisfying reſolution, but from explication and application of Scriptures.
Moreouer, it is not vnprofitable that there ſhould be diuers Treatiſes of the ſame portion of Scriptures, becauſe the ſame truth may be better conueyed to the conceits of ſome men by ſome mens handling then others, one man reliſhing one mans gifts more then anothers. And it is not meete that the glory of Gods goodneſſe and wiſedome ſhould be obſcured, which ſhineth in the variety of mens gifts, eſpecially ſeeing the depth of Scripture is ſuch, that though men had large hearts, as the ſand of the ſea ſhore, yet could they not empty out all things contained; for though the maine principles be not many, yet deductions, and concluſions are infinite, and vntill Chriſts ſecond comming to iudgement, there will neuer want new occaſion of further ſearch, and wading into theſe deepes.
In all which reſpects, this Expoſition of this holy man, deſerues acceptance of the Church, as fitted to the times, (as the wiſe Reader will diſcerne.) He went through the whole Epiſtle, but left large notes of no Chapter but this, which in ſome few places are not ſo full as could be wiſhed for clearing ſome few obſcurities; yet thoſe that tooke the care of ſetting them out, thought it better to let them paſſe as they are, then be ouer bould with another mans worke, in making him ſpeake what hee did not, and take them as they be, the greateſt ſhall finde matter to exerciſe themſelues in, the meaner matter of ſweete comfort and holy inſtruction, & all confeſſe that he hath brought ſome light to this excellent portion of Scripture.
He was a man fit for this taske, a man of much communion with God, and acquaintance with his owne heart, obſeruing the daily paſſages of his life, & exerciſed much with ſpirituall conflicts: As Saint Paul in this Epiſtle neuer ſeemeth to ſatisfie himſelfe in aduancing the glory of grace, and the vileneſſe of man in himſelfe; So this our Paul, had large conceipts of theſe things, a deepe inſight into the myſtery of Gods grace, and mans corruption; hee could therefore enter further into Pauls meaning, hauing receiued a large meaſure of Pauls ſpirit. He was one that ſought no great matters in the world, being taken vp with comforts and griefes, vntounto which the world is a ſtranger; one that had not all his learning out of Bookes; of a ſharpe wit, and cleare iudgement: though his meditations were of a higher ſtraine then ordinary, yet he had a good dexteritie, furthered by his louelove to doe good, in explaining darke points with lightſome ſimilitudes. His manner of handling queſtions in this Chapter is preſſe, and Schoole-like, by Arguments on both ſides, Concluſions, and Anſweres, a courſe more ſutable to this purpoſe then looſe diſcourſes.
In ſetting downe the obiect of Gods Predeſtination, hee ſucceedes him in opinion, whom hee ſucceeded in place; in which point Diuines accord not, who in all other points doe ioyntly agree againſt the troublers of the Churches peace, in our neighbor Countries; for ſome would hauehave man lye before God in predeſtinating him, as in lapſed and miſerable eſtate; others would hauehave God in that firſt decree to conſider man abſtracted from ſuch reſpects, and to be conſidered of, as a creature alterable, and capable either of happineſſe or miſery, and fit to be diſpoſed of by God, who is Lord of his owne, to any ſupernaturall end; yet both agree in this. Firſt, that there was an eternall ſeparation of men in Gods purpoſe. Secondly, that this firſt decree of ſeuering man to his ends, is an act of ſoueraignty ouer his creature, and altogether independant of any thing in the creature, as a cauſe of it, eſpecially in comparatiue reprobation, as why he reiected Iudas, and not Peter; ſinne foreſeene cannot be the cauſe, becauſe that was common to both, and therefore could be no cauſe of ſeuering. Thirdly, all agree in this, that damnation is an act of diuine iuſtice, which ſuppoſeth demerit; and therefore the execution of Gods decree is founded on ſinne, either of nature, or life, or both. My meaning is not to make the cauſe mine, by vnneceſſary intermedling; The worthineſſe of the men on both ſides is ſuch, that it ſhould moue men to moderation in their cenſures either way; Neither is this queſtion of like conſequence with others in this buſineſſe, but there is a wide difference betweene this difference and other differences. And one cauſe of it, is the difficulty of vnderſtanding, how God conceiues things, which differs in the whole kinde from ours, he conceiuing of things, altogether and at once without diſcourſe, we one thing after another, and by another. Our comfort is, that what we cannot ſee in the light of nature, and grace, we ſhall ſee in the light of glory, in the Vniuerſitie of heauen; before which time, that men ſhould in all matters hauehave the ſame conceipt of things of this nature, is rather to be wiſhed for, then to be hoped. That learned Biſhop, (now with God,) that vndertooke the defence of Mr Perkins, hath left to the Church, together with the benefit of his labours, the ſorrow for his death, the fame of his worth; an example likewiſe of moderation, who though hee differed from Mr Perkins in this point, yet ſhewed that he could both aſſent in leſſer things, and with due reſpect maintaine in greater matters. If we would diſcerne of differences, the Church would be troubled with fewer diſtempers; I ſpeak not as if way were to be giuen to V…rſtian, lawleſſe, licentious liberty of propheſie; that eueryevery one, ſo ſoone as he is bigge of ſome new conceipt, ſhould bring forth his abortiue monſter: for thus the pillars of Chriſtian faith would ſoone be ſhaken, and the Church of God, which is a houſe of order, would become a Babell, a houſe of confuſion. The dolefull iſſues of which pretended liberty, we ſee in Polonia, Tranſiluania, and in countries neerer hand. We are much to bleſſe God for the Kings Maieſties firmeneſſe this way, vntounto whoſe open appearing in theſe matters, and to the vigilancie of ſome in place, we owe our freedome from that ſchiſme, that troubleth our neighbours.
But for diuerſity of apprehenſions of matters farre remote from the foundation; theſe may ſtand with publike and perſonall peace. I will keepe the Reader no longer from the Treatiſe; the bleſſing of heauen goe with it, that through the good done by it, much thankeſgiuing may be to God, in the Church, Amen.
R. SIBBS. Grays Jnne.