a Hitherto the Apoſtle hath difcourled of matters of Faith ; in this, and the following Chapters, he ſets down precepts of Holy Life. He uſeth the word in the plural number, ro amplifie and let forth rhe manifold Mercies of God, in Ele&ion, Juſtifica- rion, Adoption, ©c. q. d. Seeing you Gentzles have received fo many, and fo great Mercies from God ; ſeeing he hath preferred you before his Ancient People the Fews, and hath choſen and called you, when he hath rejeQted them; as you value theſe Merctes, ler the conſideration of them engage you to all manner of Hol;- ze\s and New Obedience. c That you give, dedicate and offer up, as Spiritual Prieſts. d Your ſelves, or your whole man, a-part 13 put for the whole; the body is named, becauſe it is the Souls Inſtrument in the ſervice of God. e The Sacrifices of Old were preſented alive to God, and their Blood was ſhed at the Feet of the
.. 7
A IN was not to be ſacrificed: Nay, it was not fo mvc}; 5 x Excd. 22. 31. Levit. 22. 8. Conformable hereyc Cod wt , p "OE. , : : + (Log ww] have us Of er up our ſelves a living Sacrifice LEE Woo A, wn quickened and alive to God, and not acad in Sins ng T_- # As the Sacrifices under the Law were to be vitho- 770 defer, Exod. 12. «. Levit. I. 10. Deus. i, 7. —_ 26
(f] h- ett n.
Law,
Eph. 5.2.
4. 18. Heb. 13. 16. hþ Or, thing 1s more Reaſonable, felves to God in this manner. Some think this is adde«, a difference between the Sacrifice here 1eGuired, Jews, which was of unreaſonable Beaſts. Others, by ,.,. - ſervice, underſtand þ:iritnal ſervice, and expound this place hy 1 Pet. 2.5. where you read of Spiritual Sacrifice s acceptabl 4 God by Jeſu Chriſt, Others think, That by reaſonat!:, you t underitand ſuch ſervice as is according tothe Mord of God > "ad -
which s agreeable t9 1,1... than that you ſhou!d {P,,
C: Ofs %
,
fuits beſt with the Greek Phrate in the Text, Aozexh aareciy, Th ſame word is uſed 1 Pet.2.2 and there tis rendred the Milk oe the Word; and not reaſonable Milk. And fo the Service o; Warlbiq here ſpoken of, is oppos'd to that Will-worſhip, of which you readin Col. 2. 23.
2 And * be not conformed to this|| world ; : þy; he 4
ye | * transformed by rhe renewing of your mind}, tha by ye may * prove what zsthat good, and acceprable, ang he perfect will of God /. , (&
; Do not faſhion or accommodate your ſelves to the Corrupt Prin. ciples, Cuſtoms or Courſes of Worldly and Wicked Men, 1rq #4, what they are, you will find in chap. 13 13. Eph. 5. 18, 19, & Por Wet 4- 3- You have fomewhar the like Counſel, Exod, 23;2, | p, thi 7.14. kq.d. Be you Regenerated and changed in your Wh. 'tyt Man; beginning at the Mind, by which the Spirit sf Ged work; Cal, upon the inferior Faculties of the Soul, vid. Eph. 4.23. By pro. & 3 ving, underſtand diſcern:ng ; By the Will of God, his revealed 13,1* 11 in his Word ; andlo it beit accords with the reaſonable ſervice ſpo- 43 ken of, wer. 1. and with the ſcope of the Texc it ſelf; which is, to exhort vnto helin:ſs and obedience which is according tg the Rule of the Word, He annexeth Three AdjunFs to the Wilos Ward of God : It « goad; revealed only for our Benefit, Jtj; ,,. ceprable, z.e. By Obedience thereunto we ſhall be accepted, [: is PerfeF, and the obſervance thereof will make us ſo too, 4 Ty, 3-17. There are diffzcent Readings of theſe words, but 111 to the ſame Senſe. Some thus, That you may prove the Willi Goa; which ro do is good, acceptable and perfe#. Others thy; That you may prove what the Will of God #s ; and what i god, Actept able and perfet. .
3 2 For I ſay », * through the gracegiven untomey, *10
to every man that is among you p,* not to.think of bin. *It ſelf more highly than heoughc to think q ; bur to think fx
1 s
toberly 7, according * as God hath dealt to every many;
the meaſure of faith s. ln 2» Before he exhorted to a Holy Life in general, now he comes to * 1 more particular Exhortations. = z, e: I enjoyn and command, vid, q, 1 Gal. 5.16, I do not only beſeechyou, as wer. 1. but Ialſorequue you as one that hath Authority. o See on chap. 1.5. p More parti- cularly ro him that hath any particular Gift or Office inthe Church, 9 i.e, Not to bedrunk with a proud and overweening Conccit of himſelf ; his own W:ſaom, Ability, &c. r Or, Medcſily, let him contain himſelf within Bonnds, and not take upon him what doth not belong to him; let him not contemn others, and pretend to more than he hath. There is an elegant Paranomaſia in the Grz&, which our Language cannot reach. 5s Faith here is putsfor the Kuw. ledge of God and Chriſt, and all other ſpiritual gifts and graces beltow- ed upon the Fairhtul ; Theſe are called Faith, becauſe they are given with F4ith, and exerciſed by Faith; of theſe, God deals to every Man his meaſure or Portion : Not a4 gifts to one, nor the ſame g7/7 to every one in the ſame meaſure or proportion, via. wr, 6. and Eph. 4. 7.
4 For * as we have many members in one body, atid* all members have not the ſame office ; !,
5 So * we being many, areone body in Chriſt, and} every one members one of another z:
t Theſe Verſes are a Reaſon againſt Arrogancy. Al] Chri.tians are members of oxe and the ſame Body; therefore they ſhovid not pride themſelves in their g:frs, bur employ them for the Common Good. Ir is with the Church, the Myſtical body of Chriſ}, as with
' a natural body that hath many embers, and all theſe have nt the ' ſame Office, orthe ſame Attion or Operation ( as the word fignt- fieth), The Eye hath one Offce, the Ear another, the Hand 2 | third, &*c. So the Church of Chrijt, though one body in him who is the Head, hath many Members; many in regard oftheir Perfons, and many in regard of their Ofizes, which are various and divers; and which is more, The members are every. one members One 01 anv- ther; z. e. They are joynt and fellow members ; as they have a com mon Relation to the ſame Head, ſo a mutual Relation to one an0- thers. Therefore Chriſtians, eſpecially Church-OFcers, thould not conremn one another, or intrude upon the Office of each otner 5 but all ſhould uſe their gifts to the good and edification 0 &
thers.
6 * Having then gifts, differing according to yo grace that isgiven to us », whether * propheſy, /# propheſy w according to the proportion of faith x: +
; | _ u Or ſeeing we have different gifts and offices, according 4%}
the grace of God hath beſtowed them upon us let us _—— Is «1