A00665:362
A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written
A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, written by the blessed apostle St. Peter. By Thomas AdamsA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written by the blessed apostle St. Peter. By Thomas Adams
London: printed by Richard Badger and Felix Kyngston for Jacob Bloome, 1633London: printed by Richard Badger and Felix Kyngston for Iacob Bloome, 1633
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Having escaped the corruption. We have considered the Infection, and the Dispersion, and therein the Discovery: now one word of the Recovery, we have Escaped it. I call this a Deliverance; for we have Escaped; not by our own power, but by his grace that hath delivered us.a Our soul is Escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we are Escaped. The snare of the fowlers were the lime-twigs of this world: our soul was caught in them by the feathers, ⟨p. 97⟩our affections: now indeed we are Escaped, but the Lord delivered us. We that were once taken captives of Satan at his will, are now freed. There is a four-fold manner of freeing captives: 1. By manumission, a voluntary making free of a bond-servant: so we are escaped from the service of Satan into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.b If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. 2. By Commutation, we were prisoners by sin to Death. God therefore made a change with Death: Take thou my Son prisoner, give me my servants free. Death and Hell were forced to exchange: So they killed Christ, and we escaped. 3. By price; when a ransom is paid: now Christc gave himself a ransom for all: no silver or gold could serve; but thed Precious blood of that immaculate Lamb. We are bought with blood, and this is the blood of God. So Tertullian, Sanguis Christi non redemisset ecclesiam, nisi fuisset sanguis Dei; No bloud could have saved us, but the blood of him that was God. Here was mercy, great mercy: Christ to have mercy upon us, had no mercy upon himself: the price is payed, and we are escaped. 4. By violence; thou hast plucked my feet out of the snare, when they were too hard for me: with a strong hand and out-stretched arm, God hath delivered us out of this Egypt. As David delivered his sheep from the Lion, so the LORD hath delivered us, 2 Tim. 4.17. Ejecit daemonia; CHRIST did cast out devils: like Alexander, he stood not to untie the knot, but he cut it. By all these ways we are escaped, may our thankful hearts give praise to our Deliverer Jesus Christ.