Lectures Upon Philippians, Title page – To the reader
LECTVRES VPONUPON THE … Epiſtle of St. P… … the PHILIPPIANS,
Deliuered in St. Peters Church in OXFORD:
By the reuerend and faithfull ſeruant of CHRIST HENRY AIRAY Doctor of Diuinitie and late Prouoſt of Queenes COLLEDGE,
And now publiſhed for the vſe of GODS Church by C. P. Maſter of Arts and Fellow of the ſame Colledge.
LONDON Printed by EDW: GRIFFIN for William Bladen, and are to be ſold at his ſhoppe in Pauls Church-yard at the ſigne of the Bible neere the great north doore. 1618.
TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER in God, George, L. Archbiſhop of Canterbury his Grace Primate of all England and Metropolitane, And one of his Maieſties moſt honorable priuie Councell.
Moſt reuerend father,
I Could not preſume to ſhroud this vnpoliſhed worke vnderunder ſo high a Patronage, if J did not hope, that (as Dauid loued lame Mephiboſheth for his good father Ionothan, ſo) your gracious fauour to this Author (now with God) would excuſe and pardon, yea accept this vnperfited iſſue of his paines. Theſe papers were neuer entended for the common view, being fitted in a plaine and familiar ſtile to a popular aſſembly; and therefore (J confeſſe) not worthy of your acceptation: Yet I thought it iniuſtice either to depriue the Church of God of the benefit of his labours, or not to conſecrate them to your Graces hands, to whom the Author was ſo much obliged. Your gracious countenance and louelove vntounto him (vponupon experience of his integritie whereof you were long a witnes and ſometime a iudge) did much comfort him amidſt other occaſions of griefe and deiection: His onelyonly requitall were holy praiers for your happineſſe, which he forgat not in the extremitie of his laſt ſicknes, euen then deuoutly entreating the Lord for his bleſsing vponupon your perſon, and gouernment. Beſides your Grace is pleaſed to make your fauours (as it were) hereditary, extending them in great meaſure to his Succeſſor our preſent Gouernour and to our Colledge; Jn which reſpect, the beſt of all our labours are iuſtly deuoted to your Grace, as a ſmall diſcharge of our duty, if not rather as an acknowledgement of our obligation. Theſe Lectures which now I preſent, are an Expoſition of Saint Pauls diuine letter to the Philippians: An Expoſition, indeed not ſutable to the niceneſſe and curioſitie of our times, not elegant in words, and without all affectation (vnleſſe of plaineſſe:) But yet (leſt I too much diſparage the Author and his Worke) if I be not miſtaken, the naked and naturall ſenſe of this holy Text is here ſo faithfully opened, and withall ſo powerfully and thoroughly applied, that (J doubt not) Gods Church and people may hence reape much benefit, which was the Authors only aime in the exerciſe of his miniſterie, and ſhall be my chiefe comfort. Whatſoeuer it is, I humbly commend it to the bleſsing of God and to the vſe of his Church, deſiring to honour it with your Graces name, whoſe Patronage ſhall procure it reſpect from others. The Lord Ieſus long preſerue your Grace (after the ioy of our hearts and the breath of our noſtrills his moſt excellent Maieſtie) a great and ſure friend of religion, and a worthy inſtrument of the welfare and peace of this holy and happy Church of England.
Your Graces humble Orator Chriſtopher Potter.
To the Chriſtian Reader.
IT was a iuſt taxation of our times by graue and reuerend Beza, Dum tempora ſuperiora cum noſtris comparo, dicere conſueui plus illos conſcientiae ſcientiae minus habuiſſe; nos contrà ſcientiae plus, conſcientiae minus habere: The braines of men were neuer more ſtuffed, their tongues neuer more ſtirring, and yet their hearts neuer more emptie, their hands neuer more idle. The diſeaſe of our forefathers was ignorance, ours is impiety; they were ill in the head, we are ſicke at the heart: they were blinde but (after their manner) deuout, wee are skilfull and prophane. No age was euer bleſſed with ſuch a light of knowledge, and yet none more fruitfull of the workes of darkneſſe. The maine reaſon vndoubtedly why wiſedome and holineſſe, learning and ſanctitie are ſo vſually now a daies diuorced, is becauſe (as that Heathen of old could complaine) diſputare malumus quàm viuere: If men can argue and diſcourſe of religion it ſuffices, not one of a thouſand thoroughly digeſts his knowledge, or turnes the holy Precepts of Diuinitie into practiſe. Hence, the world abounds with Polemicall bookes, which doe not ſo much compoſe as breed contentions; (though I confeſſe the fault is not ours, but our Aduerſaries, whoſe peruerſnes will not be conuicted euen when they are conuicted:) But for practicall diuinitie and liuely deuotion, it is an argument not more neceſſary then rare, handled but by few and not by many regarded. Yet in this iniquity of times, wherein the affections of men had more need to be ordered then their iudgements informed: in my opinion, thoſe Treatiſes are of beſt ſeruice and vſe which reduce Chriſtianity into action, and warme the heart and conſcience with deuotion. In this ranke I account this Commentary: which was a principall motiue vntounto mee (as we all owe our ſelues vntounto the common good) not to ſmother a worke ſo ſeruiceable for this age, nor to bereaue Gods Church of ſuch a furtherance; eſpecially being herein encouraged by ſundry reuerend and iudicious.
A Commentarie perhaps not to the taſte of many men in this age, whoſe nice palate doth loath the dry manna, and can beſt relliſh the vnſauory ſauces of Aegypt. Others (who cannot fancie Diuinity vnleſſe ſhe be wantonly trim'd vp in the light colours of humane art and eloquence) will here require elegancie of words, and quarrell at his careleſſe ſtile. I anſwer, mores non verba compoſuit, & animis dixit non auribus, the ſcope of his labors was his auditors inſtruction not his own applauſe, nor did he care to pleaſe ſo much as to profit. To come with the inticing words of mans wiſedome, and to preach only themſelues is the note of falſe Teachers: the charge of Chriſts Miniſter is in demonſtration of the ſpirit and of power to diuide the word of truth aright vntounto his people, and this was our Authors aime. Gods oracles are to be faithfully expounded, not curiouſly minced, not looſly dallied with, & ſurely the plaine ſong of Scripture is the beſt muſicke without theſe quauering deſcants of mans wit. How licentiouſly & prophanely Popiſh Friers hauehave abuſed Gods holy word by their trifling Poſtills, it is too manifeſt. Yea (be it ſpoken with due modeſty and reuerence to thoſe Worthies, to whoſe induſtry and wit the Chriſtian Church is ſo much beholding,) ſome of the ancient Doctors were too far in louelove with quaint interpretations: eſpecially Origen, whoſe exceſſiue allegorizing (by the confeſſion of Euſebius, Lib. 6. c. 18.who yet was his great fauourite & partiall in his praiſes) cauſed the Apoſtate Porphyrius to blaſpheme and to ſcoffe at the Scriptures. Which conſideration, no doubt, moued Caluin, Melancthon, Martyr, and the reſt of our late and learned Expoſitors to ſticke ſo cloſe to the letter of the Text, and in all ſimplicitie to deliuer the meaning of the Holy Ghoſt. Their iudgement our Author approued, and followed their example, opening in theſe Lectures the ſimple and moſt naturally intended ſenſe of the holy Apoſtle, and and thence vrging & applying the Obſeruations ſo effectually, that many (not only of his ordinarie hearers, but euen of the Vniuerſitie, by whom he was much frequented) bleſſed God for the direction and comfort they receiued from his mouth. The life of deliuery in him was very powerfull, & made great impreſſion in his hearers: this booke wants that aduātage, which yet is here ſupplied, becauſe thoſe things which then were only deliuered in the eares of few, are here ſubmitted to the eyes of all.
Touching the Author himſelfe I need not ſay much. Altho (after a ſort) he condemned himſelfe to obſcuritie, and affected a priuate and retired life: yet he could not hide himſelfe from the eyes of the world, being generally noted and eſteemed for his holines, his integrity, his learning and grauity, his indefatigable paines in the diſcharge of his miniſteriall function, his ſingular wiſdome and dexteritie in the gouernment of our Colledge, which by Gods bleſſing vponupon his care hath ſent forth many learned Miniſters into the Church, many worthy Gentlemen into the Common-wealth. Briefely, in his whole conuerſation he was ſo ſincere & vnrebukeable, that by ſome (partly by occaſion of theſe Lectures) he was defamed for preciſenes. Indeede, as the times are duplicate page duplicate page now, the only meanes almoſt to auoid that reproch is to be notoriouſly wicked. But (in few words to wipe of that imputation) how much he condemned the iniurious zeale of the Separatiſts, how far he miſliked all buſie diſturbers of the Churches peace & quiet, ſtill grauely exhorting to calmneſſe and moderation, how heartily he reuerenced his holy mother the Church of England, and how willingly he conformed himſelfe to her ſeemely ceremonies and iniunctions, beſides his practiſe, he hath ſo many reuerend & graue witneſſes, as he had familiar acquaintance. To ſay truth, he was not of the Laodicean temper, nor yet pure in his owne eyes: zealous & feruent, not turbulent & contentious: a faithfull ſeruant of God, an humble and obedient ſonne of the Church, an enemy to faction no leſſe then to ſuperſtition. Laſtly, when the few and euill daies of his pilgrimage were ended, (as a comfortable death euer followes a conſcionable life,) he patiently & meekly endured Gods gentle viſitation, earneſtly longed after his diſſolution, and to be with Chriſt, which he knew was beſt of all, and at length (when the time of his changing was come) deuoutly cōmending his ſoule to the mercy of his redeemer, he cloſed vp his eyes in peace, & was caried to his graue with honor. He now reſts from his labors and his works follow him: he hath left behind him a bleſſed memory, and a name ſweeter then any oyntment. This holy monument of his induſtry I cō mend to thy vſe and ſerious meditation, good Chriſtian Reader: which fauourably accepted may incourage me to publiſh other of his labours. The Lord Ieſus bleſſe all our indeuours to the building vp of his Church, and our owne euerlaſting ſaluation, Amen.
Queenes Colledge Nou. 28. 1617. Thine in the Lord Ieſus, Chriſtopher Potter.