Expositions Upon Matthew 1-10, Title page – To the reader
EXPOSITIONS AND SERMONS UPON The Ten firſt Chapters of the Goſpel of JESUS CHRIST, according to MATTHEW.
Written by CHRISTOPHER BLACKWOOD, Preacher to a Church of Chriſt in the City of Dublin in IRELAND.
Neceſſe eſt nobis Scripturas ſanctas in teſtimonium vocari, ſenſus quippe noſtri & enarrationes, ſine his teſtibus fidem nullam habent.
Orig. homil. 1. in Jerem.
It's needfull the holy Scriptures ſhould be called into witneſs, becauſe our meanings and Expoſitions, without theſe witneſſes, have no belief.
Quaemadmodum ſi quis herbas aridas, nec odorem, nec colorem gratum habentes, in medici officina diſpoſitas repererit, &c.
As if a man ſhall finde in a Phiſician or Apothecaries ſhop, dry herbs, having neither ſmell nor colour, though they may ſeem to have a baſe ſhew, yet he will ſuſpect there is ſome virtue and remedy in them: ſo in the Apothecary ſhop of the Scriptures, if any thing meet, which at firſt ſight ſeems to be contemned, yet we may ſurely ſet down that there is ſome ſpiritual profit in it, becauſe Chriſt the Phiſician of ſouls, is to be ſuppoſed to have put nothing idle or unprofitable in this his ſhop, meaning of the Scriptures.
Orig. hom. 8. in Levit.
LONDON, Printed by HENRY HILLS, for FRANCIS TYTON, and JOHN FIELD, and are to be ſold at the Three Daggers, and at the Seven Stars in Fleetſtreet. 1659.
To the Right Honourable Lord, CHARLES FLEETWOOD, late Lord Deputy of Ireland, and now Lieutenant-General of the forces in England.
MY LORD,
TO teſtifie that due acknowledgement of Your Lordſhips favors, whereto I am obliged, I have hereto prefixt Your Lordſhips name. Among all ſtudies none are to be preferr'd before the ſtudy of the Scriptures. LUTHER, when one Chapter was opened to him, ſaid, Me thinks I ſee heaven opened. Here are ſeveral Chapters opened, wherein, if God ſhall open himſelf to Your Lordſhips heart, heaven ſhall undoubtedly be opened unto you. Let not Your Lordſhip herein expect the flouriſhing garniſh of humane Eloquence, nor the glorious varniſh of Rhetorical expreſsions, but naked truth, or at leaſt the ſame dreſt up in an homely garb. Truth is more potent them Eloquence, the ſpirit better then wit, Faith greater then Learning, and the fooliſhneſs of God ſtronger then men. All knowledge, ſave that of the Scriptures, is but periſhing food, yea the very knowledge of the Scriptures is no better, unleſs, as the underſtanding be affected with the truth of them, the will be affected with the goodneſs therein preſented. In vain is all knowledge if it be not improved to the benefit of our own ſouls. If our knowledge conſiſt onelyonly in methodical diſcourſing of God, we ſhall glorifie him onelyonly as the Painter doth the party whoſe picture he hath exactly taken. With all the truths of God our hearts ſhould have ſuch correſpondence, as between the Character and Letter inſtamp'd. My Lord, if now and then you ſhall redeem an hour from Court-affairs to Cloſet-contemplation to peruſe this enſuing Treatiſe, I hope (through the bleſsing of God) your labor will not be in vain. I have no more at preſent, ſave to exhort you to take opportunities of doing much for God, who hath done ſo much for you, that ſo your faith and fruits of righteouſneſs, may abound in the day of account, which with my prayers to the Lord for Your Lordſhip, Your Lady, and Poſterity, is the hearty requeſt of,
MY LORD, Your Lordſhips in all duty to ſerve and obſerve you; CHR. BLACKWOOD.
TO THE READER.
BEing deſired by ſome of my friends, to Print ſome Annotations upon the New Teſtament, though my life was too far ſpent, and I not like to accompliſh it, my Body being much worn, yet I thought it adviſeable to make an Eſſay herein, but the Providence of God ſo diſpoſed, that I had no ſooner finiſhed 3. or 4. Chapters in Matthew, but I was called from the City of Kilkennie in Ireland, to be Overſeer of a Church of Chriſt in Dublin, to whom preaching I was neceſſitated in order to their edification, to handle ſome Points largelier then the nature of an Expoſition calls for; but yet, I ſuppoſe, not with leſs profit to ordinary Readers. I have not, according to the itch of the times, affected new fangled interpretations, but judging it unſafe to move the bounds of the faith, I have troden in the ſteps of the beſt ancient and modern Divines that Providence led me to, adding, changing, rectifying, inventing, and propoſing what I thought needfull.
Thou mayeſt perhaps in ſome points meet with a judgement differing, from thine, in ſome one thing, yet let not that cauſe thee either to reject or not promote the truths in this enſuing Treatiſe, wherein we agree in moſt things. If the Lord may have glory, and thy ſoul Edification and Comfort, and any Comfort may redound to me in the day of my account, (which ſpeedyly draws on) I truſt I ſhall have my end. With much carefulneſs I have endeavoured to avoid the miſleading of Gods people. I cannot promiſe thee all in this Treatiſe is truth, yet, notwithſtanding all fear of loſing friends and procuring enemies, I have preſſed after truth, through multitudes of impediments, temptations, and diſcouragements. That the anſwer of thoſe prayers which have been poured out for a good ſucceſs upon theſe weak endeavours, may redound to the rejoycing of both our ſouls in the day of the Lord, is the earneſt requeſt of
Thy well wiſhing friend for the Lords ſake, C. B.