2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. TV, VER. 13. 447
of saints in this church, that the Spirit is in all, so to love communion of saints. We have ' one faith, one spirit, one baptism,' Eph. iv. 5.
That wherein Christians agree is better advantageous to this purpose to enforce unity and peace than an3'thing wherein the}' disagree, to make a rupture and fraction. Perhaps they may disagree in ceremonies, in opinion of this or that ; but if there be one faith, one baptism, if there be unity in the main, shall other things of less concernment be of force to make a fraction in the church ? Oh beloved, no ! The church before Christ, and the church after Christ, for garments they did differ, for out- ward appurtenances. As a child and a man, it is the same person, yet he hath one apparel when young, another when a man ; so the church when young had one kind of ceremony, when old another, 3-et at all times one Spirit. So one church may diller from another in this or that particular outward appendixes, but what is that to the spirit of faith ? There is one Spirit of Christ in all ; and is not that of greater force to knit together than other lesser matters to make a division ? which should teach us more and more to study the unity of the Spirit. Were it not an excellent thing if all Christians in the world had the spirits to agree in the same things, and love the same things that shall be our life in heaven ? And it were not heaven on earth if there were no agreement in the judgment and affec- tions of Christians. Therefore study peace ; and for other matters, they will follow. Let them not be of that concernment as to make any separa- tion : Philip, ii. 1, ' If any consolation, if any peace, if any love,' &c., ' be of like mind one toward another.' Why, what is the cause they press union so much '? Because our happiness is in it, and Christ in his ex- cellency, to pray that ' Christ and all may be one,' John xvii. 11 ; because the same Spuit that knitteth to Christ kuitteth to one another by love, and all grace and comforts are derived to Christians as knit to Christ by faith, and to others by love. If we be not knit to Christ, there is no derivation of gi-ace from the head ; where there is no derivation, there is decay of grace suitable. Therefore as we will grow in grace and comfort, there is more force in union than is thought of; and if it were serious LlyJ thought of, in regard of our own benefit, we should labour to maintain it.
VERSE 13.
We having the same spirit of faith, acoordiug as it is uritten, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; ice also believe, and there/ore speak.
You have heard before at large how the apostle answers all discourage- ments, from God's gracious dealing with them.
Now, St Paul goeth forward with the words read to the end of the chapter, in setting down divers encouragements to help him to go on in his Christian course. One is in the verse I have read to you ; ' We have the same spirit of faith, as it is written,' &c.
We must go through many afflictions, inward and outward, before we come to heaven. And therefore the apostle multiplies grounds of comfort, whereby he may be carried through all to the end of his race.
The first ground of comfort in these words is from the words, ' We have the same spirit of faith ' that David and others had before, ' and therefore we speak ;' therefore we are bold in our profession.
In these words we have already considered divers things. Of faith w'e shall have occasion to speak afterward.
Now whereas he comforts himself from the example of David : ' David believed and spake, and therefore I believe and speak.' We have a sweet
448 COMMENTARY ON
piittern how to malcc use of the Scriptures ; in reading of them, read our- selves in the Scriptures. The Scriptures are not only written for us, and written for them that Hved in those times ; but God, in his infinite wisdom and foresight, knew that whosoever* was in Scripture should be appliable to all times and states of the church : for though it was written at divers times, yet nothing shall fiill out to the end of the world, but thex-e is some- thing in Scripture to rule it, else there would need multiplication of Scrip- tures to the end of the world. And therefore the Scriptures contain neces- sary truths, both for the times wherein they were written, and for all times to the end of the world. As the apostle argues, ' David believed, and spake,' therefore we may, because the case is alike. The church in regard of prerogatives of salvation, and in regard of many duties and promises, hath the like command and interest from the beginning of the world ; as we say of corpus homogenewn, every part of an homogeneal body hath respect to the whole. Every drop of water is water ; every spark of fire is fire ; but every piece of an arm is not an arm, because it is heterogeneal. I speak of it, because in many prerogatives and promises there is the like reason of every member, and of one member and another ; as David speaks and believes, and therefore we speak. ' Abraham believed, and it was im- puted for righteousness,' Eom. iv. 22 ; let us believe, and it shall be im- puted for righteousness. I believed, and found mercy : if we believe, we shall have mercy. Peter, after he denied his Master, found mercy ; if we do the same, we shall find the same, because there is the same reason for the whole church, and every particular member. And, therefore, when we read the Scripture, we should read to take something out for ourselves. When w^e read any promise, this is mine ; and any privileges, these belong to me ; when we read a good example, this concerns me ; as I said before, ' Whatsoever was before written was written for our learning, that through patience and learning of the Scripture we might have hope,' Rom. xv. 4.