A17384:2136
A commentary
A commentary: or, sermons upon the second chapter of the first epistle of Saint Peter wherein method, sense, doctrine, and use, is, with great variety of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of divinity largely discussed. By Nicholas Byfield, late preacher of God's Word at Isle-worth in Middlesex.A commentary: or, sermons vpon the second chapter of the first epistle of Saint Peter vvherein method, sense, doctrine, and vse, is, with great variety of matter, profitably handled; and sundry heads of diuinity largely discussed. By Nicholas Byfield, late preacher of God's Word at Isle-worth in Middlesex.
London: printed by Humphrey Lownes for George Latham, 1623London: printed by Humfrey Lownes for George Latham, 1623
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
In that the Christians lived among the Gentiles, and must, by their fair conversation, be rightly ordered towards those Gentiles, divers things may be observed.
In that the Christians liued among the Gentiles, and must, by their faire conuersation, bee rightly ordered towards those Gentiles, diuers things may be obserued.
First, we may hence note, how hard a thing it is to recover men from a false religion, though their religion be grossly absurd. In this place, whither the Gospel came, we see multitudes of men remained Gentiles still, and would not receive the Christian faith. And this is the more to be noted, if we either consider the reasons the Gentiles had to remain in their religion, or the manifest causes they had to move them to embrace the Christian Religion: for, for their own religion, they might easily observe these things amongst many other: First, their palpable and sottish idolatry, in worshipping so many gods, and those so accounted to be gods, being many of them apparently but senseless creatures; as, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, others of them but dead men; and others of them such, as of whom there was not the least colour or appearance of Divinity. Secondly, the most notorious wickedness of life, which did every where abound in all the nations that were Pagans, Rom. 1. Thirdly, that they followed a religion that gave them no hope of a better life after death, nor could describe any estate worth the desiring. Fourthly, there was no agreement among them, what should be the chief Good, while they lived: but men were carried according to the sensual desires of their own hearts.
First, we may hence note, how hard a thing it is to recouer men from a false religion, though their religion bee grossely absurd. In this place, whither the Gospell came, we see multitudes of men remained Gentiles still, and would not receiue the Christian faith. And this is the more to be noted, if we either consider the reasons the Gentiles had to remain in their religion, or the manifest causes they had to mooue them to imbrace the Christian Religion: for, for their owne religion, they might easily obserue these things amongst many other: First, their palpable and sottish idolatry, in worshipping so many gods, and those so accounted to bee gods, being many of them apparantly but senselesse creatures; as, the Sunne, Moon, and Starres, others of them but dead men; and others of them such, as of whom there was not the least colour or appearance of Diuinity. Secondly, the most notorious wickednes of life, which did euery where abound in all the nations that were Pagans,