Gods Glory in Mans Happiness, Title page 1 – Tract 1
GODS GLORY IN Mans Happineſs: WITH The freeneſs of his Grace in ELECTING us. TOGETHER WITH Many Arminian objections ANSWERED. By Francis Taylor, B. D. Preacher at Chriſts Church Canterbury.
LONDON, Printed by E. C. for G. and H. Everſden at the Gray-hound in Pauls-church-yard, 1654.
The Analyſis, or Reſolution of the Text.
In the Words note
1. The Coherence, For.
2. The matter, and therein.
1 S. Pauls compellation, Brethren.
2 His application in which
1 His exhortation Look upon your calling.
2 Gods vocation wherein obſerve
1 The perſons called, ſet out
1 Negatively, by
Their condition wiſe according to the fleſh, great, noble.
The limitation of it, not many.
2 Affirmatively, wherein ſee
Gods thoiſe, and note
1 The chuſer God.
2 The choſen The fooliſh, weake, baſe things of the world, and things deſpiſed yea and things that are not.
The end of it, To confound and bring to naught the wiſe, the mighty, and things that are.
2 The impulſive cauſe, That no fleſ… ſhould glory in his preſence.
To the HONOURABLE his reall Friend Mr. Walter Strickland, one of the Councel to his Highneſſe the Lord Protector.
LUdovicus Vives reports of the Storke, Ciconiae hic mos eſt, ut unum e pullis relinquat ei domui, qua eſt nidulata: The Storke uſeth to leave one of her young ones to the houſe where ſhe builds her neſt: Symbol. 86. A pattern of thankefulneſs for kindneſs received. And Symbol. 81. Accipe oculatus; Receive kindneſſes with thine eye. Though the giver ſhould not much eye them, lest he ſhould ſeem to upbraide the receiver, yet ſhould the receiver often view them, that he may be mindeful of the giver: yet moſt receivers are blind in this kind. Nihil citius ſeneſcit, quam gratia. Nothing grows old ſooner then a good turn. Other crimes (ſaith an Hiſtorian) may be hid with many colours; ingratitude not with any. It was ſo hateful to the Egyptians, that they uſed to make Eunuchs of ungrateful perſons, that no poſterity of thers might remain. Barnab. Rich. deſcript. of Ireland, Chap. 6. The Earth wee tread on upbraids them,
Inquit amicus ager Domino; ſere, plurima reddam:
Si bene mi facias, memini tibi reddere grates.
The friendly field the Lord beſpeaks,
Sow, I will render ſtore:
If good you do me, thanks I will
Remember to reſtore.
Aulus Septimius Severus.
Bethinking my ſelfe how to rid me of this crime of ingratitude, and finding nothing worthy of your Noble favour to me and mine, in aſſiſting us meer ſtangers to you in procuring the payment of our publick ſtipends: I remember what Thales (called by Julian, Sapientum facile princeps, one granted generally to be the principal of the wiſe men, Paneg. 2. in Euſebiam Imp.) anſwered to one that asked him, How great a reward he ſhould give him for what he had learnned of him? If thou wilt (ſaith be) confeſſe, that thou haſt learned of me, thou haſt paid me. I hope to finde the ſame courteous minde in you, that confeſſion ſhall be accepted for ſatisfaction. I preſent you with Gods glory in Mans happineſs. The Lord make you a great inſtrument of his glory, and the good of his Church, in all your publick imployments, and in the end, remember you with the favour that he bears unto his people, and viſit you with his ſalvation; that you may ſee the good of his choſen, that you may rejoyce in the gladneſs of his Nation, that you may glory with his inheritance, Pſalme 106.4, 5. So prayeth he that is
At your Honours ſervice in the Lord,Francis Taylor.
1 COR. 1.26, 27, 28, 29.
For ye ſee your calling brethren, how that not many wiſe men after the fleſh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.
But God hath choſen the fooliſh things of the world to confound the wiſe: and God hath choſen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty:
And baſe things of the world, and things which are deſpiſed, hath God choſed, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are,
That no fleſh ſhould glory in his preſence.
ERaſmus the greateſt clerke of his age, Aeternum illud naturae miraculum Deſiderius Eraſmus. Eraſ. vita vol.ſtyled by his followers the miracle of nature, left us no greater monument of his wiſdome then that ſmall book which he wrote in commendation of folly. The wiſe Apoſtle of the Gentiles brought up at the feet of Gamaliel; nay more, inſpired by the Spirit of God, in this preſent Chapter commends unto us many kinds of fooliſhneſs. Verſ. 21.Firſt, there is the fooliſhneſs of Preaching; and no wonder if Preaching be counted fooliſhneſs, for what do we preach but Chriſt crucifyed? V. 23.and behold the fooliſhneſs of the Croſſe of Chriſt alſo in the judgment of the learned Grecians. Nay, he ſtayes not at the fooliſhneſs of the Croſſe of Chriſt, but goes forward to the fooliſhneſs of God, V. 25.if the world may be judge, that hath appointed remiſſion of ſins by the Croſſe of Chriſt to be preached to the world. Laſtly, if God be counted fooliſh that will have it preached, V. 27.they that will be beleeve it muſt paſs for fools, and there yee have the fooliſhneſs of beleevers.
The preaching of the Croſſe of Chriſt is eſteemed fooliſhneſſe in the judgment of the fleſh. For what can ſeem more fooliſh then to look for eternall life from a man, a dying man, a man crucifyed among Theeves, a man (as his adverſaries judge) not able to ſave himſelf from temporall death, and much leſſe able to give us eternall life, Let him now, ſay they, Mat. 27.42.come down off the Croſſe, and we will beleeve in him. It ſeemes a fooliſh thing for an unarmed Miniſter in a Pulpit to lay down laws for Princes and for people, to preſcribe the way to heaven, who hath no ſword to compel them to obedience, that come to hear him, but is ſubject to their ſury if they do reſiſt him. Neither is it ſtrange that the Miniſters are counted fools, where God himſelf that imployes them, is accuſed of fooliſhneſs. Yet the comfort is, that The fooliſhneſs of God is wiſer then men. V. 25.That is to ſay, where God ſhews leaſt wiſdome in any of his works (for God forbid any ſhould blaſphemouſly imagin any folly to be in God) in thoſe very actions he ſhews more underſtanding, then the wiſeſt men do in the choiſeft of all their works. The leaſt Flie doth more commend the wiſdome of the Maker, then the moſt curious picture of the greateſt Elephant. But if ye deſire a choiſe pattern, take Gods choiſe for a pattern; there ye have it. The world eſteems them fools whom God hath called, but Gods wiſdome appeared more in the choiſe of theſe fools, then if he had choſen the wiſeſt of the world. For by this means the glory of his choiſe is not eclipſed, but ſhines through all the world unto the infinite and eternall praiſe of God. And thrrefore the Apoſtle knits this unto the former, For ye ſee your calling.
Not to trouble your patience with any longer coherence, I proceed to the expoſition of the words.