The Autumn Part from the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Letter 12
The Epistle.
PHILIP. 1. 3.
I thanke my God with all remembrance of you alwaies in all my prayers, &c.
THis Epistle to the Philippians hath three parts: a
Subscription, Paul and Timotheus. Paul hZanchius.as author inditing, Timotheus as approuer or happily penner, writing this Epistle: both the seruants of Iesus Christ, and dearly beloued of the Philippians.
Inscription, to all the Saints in Christ Iesu which are at Philippi: that is, all such as are iLombard. Anselm. Aquin.baptized, and hauehave giuen vp their names vntounto Christ in k…retius. Zanchius.professing the Gospell, all in Philippi, but vnbeleeuing lPrimasius.Pagans.
Description of their perfeuerance, together with an exhortation vntounto the same, mBeza.which is the maine scope of all this excellent letter. Part whereof is our present text, Containing
Praise to God, and in it obserue
Matter
Past, a good beginning: Because yee are come into the fellowship of the Gospell.
Present, an happy proceeding: From the first day vntill now.
Future, a blessed end: Surely certified that hee which hath begun a good worke in you, will performe it &c.
Manner in respect of
Extension of
Time, alway in all my praiers.
Persons, for you all.
Intension, hauing you in my remembrance, and praying for you with gladnesse, as louing you from the verie heart roote in Iesus Christ.
Prayer to God, that their louelove may encrease more and more in knowledge and iudgement, being so filled with the fruit of righteousnesse, vntounto the glory of God, as that they may be pure nOecumen. Marlorat.before God in their oLombard. Anse…m.conscience, and without offence before men in their credit.
The pSarcer. Zanc…ius. Kilius.summe of all is in briefe, that the Pastour ought to blesse God alway for the present graces of the Church, as also most heartilie to pray for the further and future good of the same. And the people likewise must on their part bring foorth in their life such excellent fruit of righteousnesse, as that they may be both a q2. Cor. 1. 14.reioycing and a rPhilip. 4. 1.crowne to their Pastour. As the legall high Priest had the names of the children of Israel grauen in his sExod. 28. 29.breastplate: so the Preacher of the Gospell ought to hauehave his Cure stamped in his breast, alwaies in all his prayers hauing them in perfect memorie. Queene Mary said, Calice was imprinted in her heart: so Paul here to the Philippians, I hauehave you in my heart. And to the Corinthians t2. Cor. 3. 2.elsewhere, Ye are our epistle written in our hearts. See Epist. Dom. 12. & 18. post Trinitie.
Because ye are come into the fellowship of the Gospell] The chiefe subiect of his thankes and gladnes is uBrentius apud Marlorat. in loc.not the goodnesse of their soile, nor yet the greatnesse of their Citie (though it were the xActs 1…. 12.chiefe in the parts of Macedonia) but their fellowship of the Gospell yLombard. Aq…in. Anselme.in word and deed, beleeuing the word preached, and relieuing their Pastor persecuted: being companions of Paul in bonds, as they were partners of Paul in grace: zAretius.Commonors in respect of the aEpist. Iude vers. 3.common faith, and commonors as bPhilip. 4. …4.communicating to his affliction. Hence we may learne, that although eueryevery subiect ought in dutie to thanke God for crowning our nation with a world of outward blessings, as honour, plenty, peace: yet aboue all, in all our deuotions alway to praise God for the fellowship of the Gospell. And therefore the 17. of Nouember, in which it was happily …estored, and the 5. of Nouember in which it was miraculously preserued, ought to be had in a perpetuall remembrance.
From the first day vntill now] The first day of their conuersion is mentioned Acts 16. and this now was his cZanchius.first imprisonment at Rome, recorded Acts 28. or as other, his second apprehension at Rome, by computation about dRhem. Argument epist. Philip.ten yeeres after the first. All which time the Philippians continued constant in the sincere profession of Christianitie; eCaietan.neither reduced to their old Gentilisme, nor seduced by false teachers vntounto new heresie. Vngratefull Schismatikes fBrightman Apocalyp. Apocalyp. pag. 105. 106. &c.affirme that the Church of England is like the Church of Laodicea, neither hot nor cold; proud, but yet poore, blind, naked, miserable: but it is our dutie to thanke God alwaies in all our praiers, for that our Church hath against a world of popish and peeuish oppositions in the midst of a crooked generation, euen from the first of Queene Elizabeth, vntounto the eleuenth of King Iames, vncessantly continued in the fellowship of the Gospell. And it becommeh vsus to iudge that hee which hath begun a good worke in this kingdome, will performe it vntill the day of Iesus Christ.
He that hath begun a good worke in you will performe it] gRoyard. in loc.Three things are requisite in an absolute agen…, power, skill, and will. Power is attributed especially to God the Father, wisedome to God the Sonne, willingnesse and louelove to God the holy Ghost. He therefore that begins a good worke, can and will accomplish it vntounto his glory. This sentence confutes abundantly the hAquin. Zanchius.Pelagians, holding that the beginning of eueryevery good worke is onelyonly from Gods grace, but the consummation of the same from our owne vertue. Whereas our Apostle giueth iOecumen.all to God, kArdens.the first and second and third grace. The first is, operans gratia, whereby God beginneth a good worke in vsus, without vsus, in giuing a lPhilip. 2. 13.will to doe well. The second is, cooperans gratia, whereby God performeth it, giuing to our will abilitie, working in vsus and with vsus, according to that of m1. Cor. 15. 10.Paul; I laboured more abundantly then they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which is with me. So the most accurate nAugust. ser. 15. de verbis apost.Doctor excellently, Qui fecit te sine te, non iustificabit te sine te. The third is, saluans gratia, wherby God crowneth our will and worke in the day of Iesus Christ, oTit. 3. 5.not by the merits of righteousness which wee hauehave done, but according to his mercy sauing vsus. In the words of pApud Ardens in loc.Gregorie: Primò Deus agit in nobis sine nobis, vt postea nobiscum agat: & per immensam misericordiam remuneret in nobis illud, ac si solum processisset ex nobis. And so this saying of our Apostle maketh against the Papists also, which are qDr. Fulke answere to Rhem preface § 52▪cater-cousins to the Pelagians in the question of freewill and humane merit. For seeing God is r1. Cor. 15. 28.all in all, and s1. Cor. 12. 6.worketh all in all, end, middle, beginning; it must assuredly proceed from grace, that any man works with grace. God in eueryevery good worke makes a beginning, 2. Cor. 3. 5. helpeth in the middle, 1. Cor. 15. 10. confirmeth vntounto the end, 1. Cor. 1. 8. And therefore Radulphus Ardens, a tPerkins treat. Christ the true gaine.very learned man in his age, uVt habetur in eius vita praefix. hom. edit. Colo….florishing from the yeere 1040. to 1100. (saith in an homilie preached vponupon the Epistle Sunday 18. after Trinitie) seeing by one grace we come to another grace they be called merits improperly, for all our owne workes are losse that Christ might be the true gaine and aduantage. Philip. 3. 8.
And this I pray that your louelove may encrease yet more and more] xMatth. 24. 12Christ had foretold that the louelove of many should bee cold in the latter ages of the world, Paul therefore begs of God earnestly that the Church of Philippi might abound with the gift of charitie: not only that they might hauehave louelove, yZanchius.but that it might encrease, yea that it might encrease yet, and that more and more. The word (foreign) doth import that our louelove must not bee contained within the lists of our priuate persons, or particular acquaintance: but that it should ouerflow like a fountaine to the benefit of the whole Church: and that not for a time, but vntill the day of Christ: that is, vntill either he call vsus to him in zPrimasius. Lombard. Anseim.our particular deaths, or hee come to vsus in aCaietan. Marl…rat.his generall Iudgement. This our louelove must hauehave two bAretius.companions especially, Knowledge and vnderstanding. Seeing louelove c1. Cor. 13. 7.beleeueth all things, it is exceeding necessaire that our louelove should abound in knowledge, dTheophylact. Oecumen.whereby wee may discerne between good and bad, between Heretike and Catholike, and in vnderstanding, which is a spirituall experience gained by much exercise, e1. Thess. 5. 21trying all things, and then accepting the most excellent. (foreign) is fZanchius.Theoricall, and consists in generall notions of the Bible, whereas (foreign) is practicall in Christian experiments, and particular actions. A true iudgement whereby men are able not onelyonly to marke and make difference betweene good and bad, gAnselm.but also betweene good and better, and so in fine chuse the best. Our aduersaries as well the popish as the peeuish abound (as they pretend) with a very great louelove to God and his people. But because their zeale is not ioyned with all vnderstanding and knowledge, the fruit thereof is not the fruit of righteousnesse, a pure life before God, and without offence before men: but the bitter roote of all schisme in our Church, and sedition in our Common-weale. So that whereas hPsal. 69. 9.Dauid said, The zeale of thine house hath euen eaten me: we may contrariwise say, Their zeale hath euen eaten vp thine house. The iSee dangerous positi…ns of reform. lib. 2. cap. 4. 9. 11. 12. 13.Puritane zeale calleth it in word, the kCasaubonepist. ad Front. pag. 81. 82. & sequent.Romish zeale endeuours to make it in deed, a den of theeues, a fear of Antichrist, a shamelesse Babylon, a mother of abomination and desolation.
Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum.
Filled with the fruit of righteousnesse] If we construe this of Iustification, it is apparent that good works are not the cause: but the lAretius. Sarcerius. Beza.consequent of our righteousnesse, as the fruit makes not the tree to be good, but onelyonly shewes it to be good. If we take righteousnesse here for sanctification, obserue with mIn loc.Zanchie the foure causes of good workes:
1. Efficient,
Primarie, Christ: Which commeth by Iesus Christ, working in vsus the will and the deed, Philip. 2. 13.
Secundarie, our selues: As being nEsay 61. 3.trees of righteousnes planted by the Lord, and so by Christs especiall grace the iust man oPsal. 1. 3.brings foorth his fruit in due season, and continuing in well doing is filled with the fruit of righteousnesse.
2. Materiall, fruit. Internall in thought, externall in word and deed. For a good tree beares fruit on eueryevery bough and on eueryevery branch.
3. Formall, righteousnesse. A conformitie to the diuine law, Christs imputatiue righteousnesse is perfect, our inherent righteousnesse is imperfect.
4. Finall
Benefit of our brethren, for trees beare fruit for the good of other.
Glory and praise of God, and pTheophylact. Aretius.heere wee may learne the difference betweene the good workes of Christians and other. A Gentile doth a good worke, but not in Christ: an hypocrite doth a good worke, not vntounto Gods glory: but for qMatth. 6. 2.mens praise. Whereas the true Christian is filled with the fruit of righteousnesse, especially for this end, that rLuke 15. 10.Angels in heauen may sCaietan enim & Zanchius r…ferunt gloriam ad angel…s in coelo, laudem ad homines in terra.glorifie God, and men on earth also praise God in his Saints. And as the iust man is a tLombard. in loc.glorie and praise to God: so God one day will praise the iust, in saying, Come ye blessed, &c. and glorifie him also both in body and soule by Iesus Christ in the kingdom of glory.