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

though you forget your own country, and your fathers house: though you forget the wife of your bosom, and the fruit of your own loins: though you forget to eat your bread, and take your sleep: yet remember your sanctification, forget not that you were purged by the blood of CHRIST. If you have treasures and Jemmes, you desire a Cabinet to put them in: I have showed you a Cabinet for all the Jewels of grace you have gathered, the memory. If you have received any good, there preserve it. Paul tells the Hebrews, Hebr. 12.5. You have forgotten the exhortation: let it never be said of you, that ye have forgotten the exhortation spoken to you.

though you forget your owne countrey, and your fathers house: though you forget the wife of your bosome, and the fruite of your owne loynes: though you forget to eate your bread, and take your sleepe: yet remember your sanctification, forget not that you were purged by the bloud of CHRIST. If you have treasures and Iemmes, you desire a Cabinet to put them in: I have shewed you a Cabinet for all the Iewells of grace you have gathered, the memorie. If you have received any good, there preserve it. Paul tells the Hebrewes, Hebr. 12.5. You have forgotten the exhortation: let it never bee said of you, that yee have forgotten the exhortation spoken to you.

Forgotten that he was purged. There remains yet one degree more of application and amplification of this point. Consider we the price of our Purgation, and we shall more willingly part from our corruption. If the blood of Gods son was spil• and spent to discharge us of sin; how odious should sin appear to us! Oh let no sin be held so dear as to be retained, when God retained not his dearest son for us. When Abraham offered up Isaac, God said; I see thou lovest me: but when God offered up his son for us, (that were, not as God to Abraham, a friendly Creator, but) enemy creatures, we may well say; LORD, we see that thou lovest us. Abraham's offering Isaac was a grievous trial; both for the matter and the manner: that Talis, Talem, Taliter. 1. That the sacrificer should be a father. It is contranaturall and execrable for a son to slay his father; to give death to him, that gave him life. Herodotus writes of some that held it unpossible for a son to kill his father. A great law-giver made no Law for it, as a thing never to be done. If any were suspected or accused for it, they would conclude that either he had not done it, or that he was a bastard; they could not be persuaded that any son would commit parricide. But now it is more strange for a father to slay his son: for love more descends than ascends. We have read of young ones that killed their own dam, we never read of a dam that killed her own young ones. But here Isaac is doomed to die, not by the hand of an enemy, not by a stranger, not by an executioner, not by a murderer; but by a father; a mild, gentle, holy, loving father. O utinam tantummodo moriturus, non patris manu moriturus! Abraham might say, Oh that it were only his destiny to die, and not to die by the hand of his father. 2. That the sacrifice should be his son, his Isaac, his joy: not only his son, but his only son. Not one of many; yet Jacob cannot spare one of twelve, he weeps for Joseph, he is grieved to part with Benjamin. Yea, that it must be that son, from whom the Messiah was to come; the hope of salvation to himself, and all the ends of the earth. 3. That he must die after such a manner: a sacrifice to GOD, who delights not in the blood of men: and this himself not standing by, but with his own hand. Since he must die, ô that alienâ manu, non propriâ;