A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

1 Your faith, because you have a right and interest to this faith. As Saint Jude calls it the^b Common salvation, so it may be called the Common faith. If no Christian be excepted from the right of salvation by Christ, then none is excepted from the right of faith in Christ. The faith that God delivered to the Saints, is Your faith: take your handful out of this sheaf, your portion is in this common stock. It is Aequè pretiosa fides, saith our Apostle, vers, 1. Like precious faith: not appropriated to Peter or Paul only, the rest secluded; but common to all the Saints. Qui se excipit, se decipit: qui alium excipit, Christo injuriam facit. He that excepts himself, deceives himself: he that excepts others, doth wrong to Christ. There is a woe to such;^c Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. They have a bridge over the gulf, whereby themselves are escaped; and then take it way lest it should help others. But^d When thou art recovered, strengthen thy brethren. Show others the mercy thou hast tasted: teach them to escape damnation by that way thou hast escaped it. So David, Psal. 66.16. Come and hear all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. Woe to them that engross faith, that enclose Gods Commons, that make that several and peculiar, which the Lord hath laid open, and made common. Thus the Pharisee despised the poor Publican; yet went home less justified. The Pharisees reproached them;^e Have any of The Rulers believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the Law, are cursed: but themselves were more cursed. Shut not the door of heaven against thy brother, lest God shut it against thine own soul, 1 Cor. 12.29. Divers gifts are appropriated to divers men; but faith is general to all the elect. There is a part of the body for seeing, a part for hearing, a part for smelling, a part for tasting, a part for walking, a part for speaking; but all are Feeling. The eye feels, the ear feels, the tongue feels, &c. Faith is like that sense of feeling, common to all. All are not seeing parts, nor all hearing parts, nor all smelling parts; but all are feeling parts. Are all Apostles? are all Prophets? are all Teachers? are all workers of miracles? Others may have particular graces, faith is a common grace to all. It is a devilish malice to grudge another man faith.