The Autumn Part from the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Letter 13
The Epistle.
PHILIP. 3. 17.
Brethren, be followers together of me, and looke on them which walke, euen so as yee hauehave vsus for an ensample, &c.
SAint Paul in this text exhorts the Church of Philippi to
Follow him, and other Apostles of the like cariage, because their conuersation is in heauen.
Flee false teachers, & such as walke wickedly, because their
Courses are dā nable, being
Erronious in doctrine, enemies of the crosse of Christ.
Corupt in maners, whose belly is their god.
End is damnation, and glorie their shame.
Be followers of me] This argueth his lArdens in loc.confidence, not mB. Latymer. serm. in loc.arrogance. For hauing instructed his Philippians eueryevery way that is commendable, nRoyard.by word, by writing, by working: and knowing o1. Cor. 4. 4.nothing by himselfe wherein hee was wanting in his Apostleship: hee speakes thus as their watchman, and not as his owne trumpetor, out of vnfained zeale sincerely to keepe them from error, not out of selfeloue vainly to sound his owne praise. pSarcerius. Piseator. Kilius.Hence Pastors are taught to be q1. Pet 5. 3.paternes vntounto their flocke r1. Tim. 4. 12.in word, in conuersation, inloue, in spirit, in faith, in purenesse; that it may be said of eueryevery Prelate truly, which a Poet of a Pope flatteringly,
Hic viuens lux vrbis erat, defunctus eclipsis,
Urbs stetit Urbano stante, ruente ruit.
And looke on them] He ioyneth other with himselfe to sAretius.decline enuie. There bee many false Teachers among you, but I would not hauehave you to follow them. Other there be, though a few that walke as I do. foreign, Marke them tLombard. Zanel…ius.accurately, for we may not imitate eueryevery one, but onelyonly such as Paul; and Paul not in eueryevery thing, but (as himselfe u1. Cor. 1. 11.elsewhere doth expound himselfe) Be yee followers of mee, euen as I am of Christ. xB. Latymer.If these words, as I am of Christ, be brought hither vntounto the clause, be followers of mee, then all is well: otherwise Christians (as B. Latymer heere notes) are not bound in conscience to be Saints apes. Imitate Dauid in that wherein he was a man according to yActs 13. 22.Gods owne heart, but abhor his murther and adultery. Follow Iudas Maccabeus in his hearty deuotion and hardy valour in the Lords war, but imitate him z2. Mac. 12. 43not in bestowing money to make a sacrifice for the dead. Imitate Peter in his aMatt. 16. 16.confessing, but not in his bMatt. 26. 72.denying Christ. So Paul and his followers are to be followed, but with a cAretius.quatenus, in dAnselm.that they were perfect, proceeding by one rule, and minding one thing, as the words afore: and eCaietan. Zanchiue.for that their conuersation was in heauen, as the words after intimate.
Many walke] Not after the spirit, fErasmus.as I, but after the flesh, all for the belly. Which Aretius obserues out of the two Greeke words [foreign] in this, and [foreign] in the verse going afore. Good Pastours and good people walke in their vocation orderly, but the wicked are dissolute in their courses and march out of ranke. gB. Latymer.If many such walkers in Pauls age, there must of necessity be more now. For Sathan bound in the Primatiue times, is in this latter end of the world hApocal. 20. 7.loosed againe out of his prison, and his iApoc. 12. 12.wrath is great, knowing that he hath but a short time. There is now such horrible rebellion, inhumane cruelty, monstrous heresie, barbarous drunkennesse, euen among such as professe the Gospel, that a man would think the whole world were turned diuel: and therefore seeing the wicked walkers are not a few, but many; kAretius. Zanchius.the moe, the more heed ought to be taken of them. As Paul in this present chapter at the second verse, Beware of dogs, beware of euill workers, beware of the concision.
Of whom I hauehave told you often, and now tell you weeping] That he warned them often argueth his lSarcerius.diligence, that he did it now weeping his mCaluin.zeale and piety. Weeping for that the nLombard. Anselm.simple seduced were damnified, and the subtill seducing (if they did not repent) hereby damned. So Samuel mourned for Saul, 1. Sam. 15. 35. and so Paul bewailed his o2. Epist. 12. 21.Corinthians, and the Prophet pCap. 9. 1.Ieremy; Oh that mine head were full of water, and mine eyes a fountaine of teares, that I might weepe day and night for the Qaine of the daughter of my people. There be many learned and industrious Preachers in England which often admonish you of such as walke wickedly, but I feare we want weeping Pastors and weeping Prelates, earnest men in Gods cause. For if they weepe ouer their spirituall children, as Monica did ouer Augustine her naturall sonne: I may boldly tell them, as that reuerend Bishop did her, qAugust. Confess. l. 3. c. 12Fieri non potest vt filius istarum lachrymarum per eat.
Enemies of the Crosse of Christ] Al such as derogate from the merit of Christs passion, are enemies to Christs Crosse. As the r1. Cor. 1. 23.Iewes vntounto whom Christ crucified is a stumbling blocke, and the Gentiles vntounto whom his crosse seemed foolishnesse, and the sB. Latymer.Papists as they be merit-mongers and masse-mongers, it is a great contempt of Christs crosse to thinke that any can merit heauen for himselfe, but it is a greater scorne to sell his good workes for a little siluer, and so bring other to heauen by deedes of supererogation. Againe, the Papists are enemies of the Crosse of Christ in their Masse, making it a daily sacrifice for the quicke and the dead; whereas Christ was tHeb. 9. 28.once, not often, offered to take away the sinnes of the world. See Epist. 4. Sunday in Lent.
In a word, all such are enemies of Christs Crosse uArdens. Mirlorat. Zanchius.qui crucem Christi, vel non credunt vel non portant, which either beleeue not, or beare not his Crosse. As the false Apostles in Pauls age, who taught that a man is iustified by circumcision and workes of the Law, which is so derogatory to the sufferings of Christ, as that it is said expresly, Galat. 2. 21. If righteousnesse be by the law, then Christ died in vaine. And in maintaining this assertion, they did xGalat. 6. 12.seeke carnally to please, left they should suffer persecution for the crosse of Christ, as hath at large been shewed Epist. 15. Sunday after Trinitie.
Whose end is damnation] yLombard. Aquin. Anselm.That is, eternall destruction in hell: and therefore take heed how yee follow them in the labyrinth of error, lest the blind leading the blind zMatth. 15. 14.both fall into the ditch. Here aSarcerius. Aretius.Diuines obserue Pauls antithesis between the good and the bad Apostles. The good are the bIohn 15. 14.friends of Christ, but the bad enemies of his crosse. The good hauehave their conuersation in heauen, but the bad, mind earthly things. The good shall hauehave their vils bodi fashioned like to Christs glorious body, so that their shame shall be turned into glory: but the wicked on the contrary shall hauehave their glory turned into shame. They flourish happily for a time, but their end is damnation.
Whose belly is their God] cPhotius. Ardens. Lombard.That is our God which we like best and louelove most. And therefore the false Doctors in Pauls age, who to serue their owne turne ioyned together Circumcision and Christ in the businesse of our saluation. And such in our daies as thrust themselues into the Clergie that they may dB. Latymer.buckle the Gospell and the world together, and set God and the diuell at one table, preaching pleasant things in the Princes eare, that they may get riches and goe gay: what I pray doe they but make their belly their God? And, as eLib. de Ieiunio aduersus psychicos sub fin.Tertullian addes, their lungs his temple, their paunch his altar, the Cooke the Priest, the fattie fume of their meat their holy Ghost: their sawces their spirituall gifts, their belching their prophecie: their louelove boyleth in their kettle, their faith warmeth in their kitchin, their hope lieth in their meate; he that feasteth most and of delicate fare is prouided best, is holiest among them.
And glory their shame] That is, they boast fPrimasius Anselm. Zanchius.in circumcisione membri pudendi. Or as gOecumen.other, they glory in sinne, whereof they should be ashamed. iB. Latymer.Or their short glorie shall be turned into long shame, their earthly pompe to confusion eternall, at the last day.
Our conuersation is in heauen] First in respect of our kColuin.vnion with Christ, in whom heauen and earth are met: lPomeran. apud Marlorat.in so much as all Gods elect are called often in holy scripture the kingdome of heauen. For albeit they be m1. Pet. 2. 11.pilgrimes on earth, and dwell in houses of nIob. 4. 19.clay: yet they liue not according to the oRom. 12. 2.fashions of the world, but after the lawes of that citie which is pGalat. 4. 26.aboue, praying alway that the kingdome of God may come, and that his will may bee done. See Epist. Easter day.
Secondly, the conuersation of godly men is in heauen, in respect of their qAquin.affections, as minding rColoss. 3. 2.heauenly things, and not earthly things. sPerkins exposit. Cred. art. ascens.In the world if a man make purchase of a Lordship, his heart is alway there, there he puls downe, and builds againe, there hee makes himselfe orchards and gardens; there hee meanes to liue, there hee meanes to dye. Christ Iesus hath bought the kingdome of heauen for vsus (the most blessed purchase that euer was) and hath paied for it the dearest price that euer was paied, euen his owne pretious blood: and in this citie he hath prepared a tIohn 14. 2.mansion for vsus, and made vsus free Denizens of it: all our ioy therefore should bee there, uAnselme.Corpore ambulantes in terra, sedcorde habi… antes in coelo. From whence wee looke for the Lord Iesus Christ, xZanchius.vntounto the wicked a Iudge, but vntounto such as louelove his comming a Sauiour, who shall change our vile bodie, &c. Where foure points are considerable.
1. Who? Iesus Christ, as being the resurrection and the life: Ioh. 11. 2. and 5. 25.
2. What? our vile bodie, for as he reneweth our minde by grace, making it conformable to his minde: so likewise will he change our vile bodie, that it may be like his glorious bodie.
3. By what meanes? accerding to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things vntounto himselfe.
4. After what manner? hee shall change, not the substance nor the lineaments of our body: but the yTransformabat quoad qualitatem non quoad quantitatem. Theo …oret.quality, making this z1. Cor. 15. 53.corruptible to put on incorruption, and this mortall, immortality, changing our vile body that it may be fashioned like vntounto his glorious body.
aP…udentius apoth. de resurrect. carnis humanae.Nosco meum in Christo corpus consurgere, quid me
Desperare iubes? veniam quibus ille reuenit
Calcata de morte vijs, quod credimus hoc est.
Et totus veniam, nec enim minor, aut alius quàm
Nunc sum, restituar: vultus, vigor & color idem
Qui modo viuit, erit: nec me vel dente vel vngue
Fraudatum reuomet patefactifossa sepulchri.