Exposition of Philippians 3, Part 5 – Part 6
VERS. 3. For wee are the Circumcision.
IN these words, and those that follow, our Apostle describes, who are truely circumcised. We are the true Israel, the circumcised Sonnes of Abraham, who are members of Christ. The Philippians, they were not circumcised outwardly, yet were they truely circumcised, they had the truth of it; even as they that were under the cloud and in the Sea, were said to be truely baptized in the Cloud, and in the Sea. The Sacraments therefore, before and after Christ, were in substance all one, as the Church was one and the same, they may be said to be baptized, as we, and we circumcised as they: the difference was only in the outward Ceremony and shew, which the Church being then young had need of. It is the same Religion, cloathed diversly. Bellarmin saith, that their government was carnall, & the promises to them were carnall, but it is carnally spoken of him. Heb. 11. The Fathers before Christ, had respect to the recompence of reward: and in vers. 35. they accepted not deliverance, that they might obtaine a better resurrection: are these carnall promises? The Anabaptists, they presse rebaptizing, not considering that the same Covenant was before Christ, and after, in substance. So as every true Christian is spiritually circumcised, being once regenerate: before indeed he is uncircumcised, and a spirituall leprosie over spreads all his frame of body, and minde, which must be washed, pared, and cut off. Wee must part with uncircumcised hearts, eares, and lippes: that is, such eares as doe delight themselves to heare corrupt lewd discourse, such a tongue and lippes, as delight to u…ter, and let out words savouring of a rotten and uncircumcised heart: such eyes as doe delight th…mselves, in the beholding of lustfull and sinfull …bjects, whereby the heart is kindled in…o vaine d…sires. I say, a Christian must circumcise himselfe, his heart, and those parts that are uncircumcised, before hee can ever thinke to goe to Heaven, whither nothing that is corrupt, or uncleane entreth. Religion therefore is no easie thing. Circumcision is painfull and bloody. Mortification is very hard, corruption it must be cut off, though the blood duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page follow, else it will kill thee at length. Wherefore, wee are also to labour for circumcised hearts to understand Gods truth, his will and commandements; Cut off all extravagant desires, who by lit…le and little, take away comfort, and communion with God, its no mercy therefore to spare them. Circumcise thy eyes, pray with David, Turne away mine eyes from regarding vanity. Stoppe thy …ares at the charming of such objects as may infect thy soule: we can never injoy that beatificall vision hereafter, if we weane not our selves from the liking of these things. And though we cannot while we are in this house of clay come to that perfection we should; yet indeavour to it earnestly, and God will accept our very indeavours, and will further them; yea, we shall get the victory at length. If sinne begins to fall, it shall surely fall: the house of David in us shall grow stronger,Meanes and waies to mortifie sinne. and the house of Saul shall dayly be weakened. The meanes to this dutie, are
First, know thy sinne, and thy particular sinne: by thy checks of conscience, and by the checks we receive from our enemies, who will spie what they can in us, thereby to scandalize us. As also, observe what thy thoughts worke most upon; what is the maine thing, that generally takes up your cogitations.
When thou hast found out thy sinne, Make it as odious as thou canst: For Circumcision implies a thing that is odious, and superfluous: now all sinnes that be cherisht in us, may well be odious to us, for that it hinders us from all good, and clothes us with all evill, and makes all outward things evill to us; who otherwise, are no further ill, than as they strengthen our corruptions. It hinders us from all good duties, pride of heart and corruption doe dogge us: this made Paul cry, not of temporall bonds, but of the bonds of sinne and of death; Who shall deliver me, wretched man that I am, saith he? Rom. 7.23.24.
Thirdly, having found out thy sinnes, and the abominablenesse of them: Complaine of them to God, as Hezekiah did of the blasphemous letter that Senacherib wrote, and challenge the fruit of Gods promise. For hee that bids us circumcise, Deut. 10.16. Promised that he himselfe will doe it, Deut. 30.6. Faith in the promises is an effectuall meanes to attain to them. Men come with doubtings, they see a great deale of corruption, they think their labour is vaine, they cannot be releeved against them, they are deceived. Touch but thou the hemme of Christs garment, flie to God in his name, and thou shalt finde this issue of sinne, though not wholly dried up, yet much abated. And here is the excellencie of Faith, that assures us of all the promises, concerning sanctification here, as concerning glory hereafter.
VERS. 3. Which worship God.
THe Apostle places …ircumcision before worship: for unlesse there bee a cutting off,Three parts▪ viz. we cannot bring our corruption to performe duties of Gods worship aright.
1The Act, Worship.The words containe, a description of a Christian by his proper act, Worship, and by the proper object thereof, God; and by his most proper part, in spirit. And the word Worship, is taken for the inward worship of God, commanded in the first Commandement; also, comprehending our feare, love of God, and joy in him: issuing from the knowledge of the true God. All our obedience, issuing herefrom, is worship of God▪ including our duties to man, in obedience and relation to Gods Commandement. The ground of this obedience and worship, is the relation betweene God and the re…sonable creature▪ being the Image of God▪ now this image being lost in the fall of our first parents, wee must worship him, not onelyonly as our creator and maker, but as reconciled to us in Christ, as he hath made us anew.
2The Object, God.Secondly, we are to worship him, as the well-spring of all grace, goodnesse, excellencie, and greatnesse.
3The most part, viz. in Spirit.Thirdly, As he doth communicate all unto us, he is ours, Christ is ours, all is ours: this should carry our soules to love him, be his, as he is ours: especially, to be his in Spirit. By which is meant the reasonable soule, understanding, will, and affections. And Secondly, with sanctified understanding, sanctified will, and sanctified affections. Thirdly, with all our strength, spirit, life, and chearfull readinesse. Wherefore, God is the proper object of spirituall worship. Trust on him, love him, joy in him, invoke and pray to him, and to him onelyonly; not to the Virgin Mary, Saints, or Images, as the Papists doe. Mat. 4.10. Him onelyonly shalt thou serve, as Christ saith, because our commandement is onelyonly from him, and extends onelyonly to him. The promises are onelyonly from him, he onelyonly is present, in all places, he onelyonly supplies our wants, and he onelyonly knowes, what our wants are; and how to helpe. Saints are not present in all places, they cannot heare many at once, nay they cannot heare our prayers unlesse they be present, they are finite creatures, they have no infinite properties. Christ, he bids us, invites us to come to him, he hath promised to heare us, and to ease us.
And further, God knowes the secret wants, which the Saints cannot know, no, wee our selves know them not, and therefore are we to goe onelyonly to God in all our necessities: because it is most gainfull for us to goe to him that can helpe us, nay we owe him this honour, by going to him, to acknowledge his omnipresence, his willingnesse and ability to doe good.