The Autumn Part from the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Letter 9
The Epistle.
EPHES. 4. 17.
This I say, and testifie through the Lord, that yee hencefoorth walke not as other Gentiles walke, &c.
THis text consists of a
Soule, giuing not onelyonly light, but also aHabet vim ob…estationis & asseuerationis magnae. Aretius in loc.life to the present exhortation of Paul: I say this, and testifie through the Lord, bPrimasius. Lombard. Anse me.that is, I doe not only desire, but (as he speaks elsewhere) c2. Tim. 4. 1I charge you before God, and before the Lord Iesus Christ, who shall iudge the quicke & the dead. I call God to dOecumen.witnesse that I hauehave taught you the truth, I testifie this as Christs e2. Cor. 5. 20.Ambassadour, fMarlorat.it is not my word, but his will. And therefore gHeb. 13. 22.suffer the words of exhortation, because whosoeuer heareth his, heareth him, Luk. 10. 16. and he that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God: 1. Thes. 4. 8.
Bodie, that we should walke
Not as Gētiles in their
Vnderstanding, blind and ignorant.
Will, obstinate and alienated farre from a godly life, hAquin.Sinning
Wilfully, giuing themselues ouer vntounto wantonnes.
Actually, to worke all maner of vncleannesse.
Insatiably, with greedinesse.
But as Christians in
Putting off their old man, that is, their old conuersation in time past as being corrupt.
Thought, vnaduised anger, with all bitternesse of spirit. iArdens.In Word, lying and filthy communication.
Deed, vniust deling & stealing.
Putting on the new man according to Gods image, renued kCaietan. Aquin.in all the powers of the Mind
Rationall, in putting away lying & speaking the truth.
Irascible, in being angrie without sin.
Cōcupiscible, in stealing no more, but labouring &c.
That yee henceforth walke not as other Gentiles walke] The most obseruable point in all this exhortation is Pauls Antithesis or checker-worke, as it were the blacke of the Gentiles, and white of the Christians. The Gentiles are blinded in their vnderstanding and ignorant: but Christians hauehave learned him in whom are all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge, Coloss. 2. 3. hearing him in his lAretiusword, and taught of him also by his mLombard. Auselm. Marlorat.spirit, leading them into all truth, Iohn 16. 13. The Gentiles by the meanes of their blindnesse and ignorance walke in vanitie of their mind, farre from a godly life, committing sinne, not out of passion and infirmitie, but out of election and iniquitie, giuing themselues ouer vntounto wantonnesse, and that not in thought onelyonly, but in act also, working and that all manner of vncleannsse, and that euen with greedinesse insatiably, nPhilip. 3. 19.glorying in their shame, and, as oCaluin. Aretius.some Diuines aptly construe the word foreign, contending for the victorie in villanie. But Christians hauing learned Christ, whose doctrinepTit. …. 12. forbids all vngodlinesse, ought to put on the new man, that is, new manners, all the daies of their life seruing God in righteousnesse and true holinesse. The Gentiles vnregenerate are giuen to lying and forgerie: but eueryevery Christian regenerate will speake the truth vntounto his neighbour, as being members one of another. Vnregenerate men in their anger offend God, and giuegive place to the diuell: but men regenerate, will not let the sunne goe downe vponupon their wrath: in a qArdens. Caietane. Marlorat.literall exposition, rHorat.ira furor breuis est, all their vnaduised anger is not a day long: or in a mysticall sense, they bee so moderate as that neither sHierome. Aquin.reason the tEcclesiast. 12 2light of the minde, nor uLombard. Anselme.Christ the sunne of righteousnesse shall at any time forsake them in their furie. Men vnregenerate make x1. Tim 6. 5.gaine their godlinesse, robbing openly, stealing secretly: but a regenerate man is content to labour with his hands the thing that is good, that hee may giuegive to him that needeth. Hee laboureth, as knowing that the end of lasinesse is the beginning of leaudnesse, yLaurent. Pisanus euangei…e. paradox.finis otij resurgere ad prauum negotium. And hee laboureth zOccumen.not as a theefe to doe mischiefe, but the thing which is good; aArdens. Aretius. Marlorat.exercising himselfe in some vocation or trade that is good, and that for good, that hee may rather giuegive then take from other; acknowledging that axiome to bee true, bLaurent. Pisan. vbi s…pra.Magis delinquit diues non largiendo superflua, quàm pauper rapiendo n…cessaria. Vnregenerate men hauehave filthy communication and vnsauourie: but the speech of a regenerat… man is so cColos. 4. 6.powdred with salt, that as oft as need is it may … grace to the hearers. In a word, vnregenerate men are full of bitternesse, and fiercenesse, and wrath, and roring, and cursed speaking, and all maliciousnesse: but regenerate men are courteous one to another, mercifull, forgiuing one another, euen as God for Christs sake forgaue them.
These particulars hauehave bin discussed often elsewhere, but in the whole you may note dSarcerius & Piscator in loc.two maine parts of repentance, namely contrition or mortification in putting off the old man: renouation or viuification in putting on the new man. And this newnesse of life must be both outward, and inward: outward, in righteousnesse toward men, and holinesse toward God, opening our lips to speake that which is good, and labouring with our hands to doe that which is good. If idolatrous Gentiles and superstitious Papists in old time did more then they knew: what a shame lieth vponupon vsus if wee know more then wee doe? This renouation also must be spirituall and inward, as it is in the text, renued in the spirit of your mind, eAnselme.that is, in the spirit which is the minde, fHierome. Ardens.or in the spirit and minde. In the gCaluin. Caietan.supreme part of the minde, as well as in the will and affections: or in the minde made hLombard. Aquin.spirituall after God in righteousnesse and true holinesse. He who first made this Image restoreth it againe being lost, ipse qui fecit reficit: iArdens.albeit this newnesse be found in vsus, it is not of vsus, it proceeds onelyonly from the Lord who saith, kApoc. 21. 5.Ecce noua facio omnia; Behold I make all things new. Wee are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus vntounto good workes, Ephes. 2. 10. and therefore wee must pray with Dauid, O God renew a right spirit within me, Psal. 51. 10. and embrace the Gospell of Christ as the lRom. 1. 16.power of God vntounto saluation, instructing vsus how to liue soberly, righteously, and holily Tit. 2. 12.
Whosoeuer is a scorner and a despiser of this soulesauing grace, grieues the spirit of God, and giues place to the diuell. It is true that the Spirit cannot properly mThom. part. 1 quaest. 21. …rt. 3.grieue, because the mercies of God are not passiue but actiue, succouring not suffering in our miserie. nPrimafius. Lombard.Yet a man that is giuen ouer vntounto wickednesse, doth occasion other in whom the Spirit dwels, exceedingly to lament and grieue for his faults and follies: or he may be said to grieue the Spirit, oAnse…me.because filthy communication is displeasing to the Spirit: or for that as pAugustin. epist. 23.much as in him is, he doth extinguish the Spirit, and driue him out of his mansion, and so giues place to Sathan, entring in at two doores especially saith qIn Psal. 14… idem Lombard. in loc.Augustine, Per ostium cupiditatis & timoris, aut cupis aliquid terrenum & kâc intrat, aut times aliquid terrenum & hâc intrat.
On the contrary, whosoeuer is renued in the spirit of his minde, openeth a doore to Christ, Apocal. 3. 20. and Christ dwelleth in him, Eph. 3. 17. and he liueth in Christ Galath. 2. 20. nay the good man rRom. 13. 14.puts on Christ, and is as it were a walking sCasaubon. not. in epist. Nys. ad Eustat.picture of Christ, so the text expressely, Galath. 4. 19. my little children, of whom I trauell in birth; againe, vntill Christ be formed in you: which tCom. post. in Galath.Hierome glosseth aptly thus, In illo verê Christus formatur, qui virtutem fid…i eius intelligit, & in quo omnis conuersatio eius exprimitur at que depingitur. uDr. Fulke in loc.In this life this renouation is only begun, and not perfect vntill this mortal put on immortality. S. xLib. de Nat. & Grat. cap. vlt.Augustine notably to this purpose, Charity begun, is righteousnesse begun: charity encreased is righteousnesse encreased: great charity is great righteousnesse: perfect charity, perfect righteousnesse. yIdem epi. 29.Charitas in alijs maior, in alijs minor, in alijs nulla: There be many degrees of charity, some hauehave lesse, other hauehave more: sed plenissima, quae iam non possit augeri, quā diu homohic viuit, est in nemine: but ful and perfect charity cannot be found in any man so long as he liueth heere. To conclude this argument in three words onelyonly, iustifying righteousnesse is perfect, but not inherent: sanctifying righteousnesse is inherent, but not perfect: glorifying righteousnesse is both inherent and perfect.