A17384:2855
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.
Fourthly, when men take liberty to sin, under pretence of their Christian liberty. GOD hath freed us in Christianity from the ceremonial Law, not from the moral: for, though he hath delivered us from the malediction and reign of the moral Law, yet he never freed us from the obedience of the same, Rom. 6.15. Jude 3. And it is manifest, that Christian liberty can give no toleration to sin: for, Christ died to free us from sin, and not to let us loose to sin more freely: we were freed from sin, that we might be servants to righteousness, Rom. 6.18. Besides, God hates sin by nature, and not by precept only; and therefore God himself can give no liberty to sin: God himself cannot dispense with the breach of the Laws that be moral in themselves: and such Laws as be moral in themselves, I account to be all the ten Commandments, but the fourth. The fourth Commandment is moral by precept, not by nature; and so the Lord of the Sabbath may dispense with the literal breach of the Sabbath: but the other nine are simply indispensable. That Abraham was commanded to kill his son, was but a Commandment of trial. And when God willed the Israelites to take the jewels of the Egyptians, he did not will them to steal: for, God himself was chief Lord of all the earth, and all things therein; the Egyptians were but his stewards.
Fourthly, when men take liberty to sinne, vnder pretense of their Christian liberty. GOD hath freed vs in Christianity from the ceremonial Law, not from the morall: for, though hee hath deliuered vs from the malediction and raign of the morall Law, yet he neuer freed vs from the obedience of the same, Rom. 6.15. Iude 3. And it is manifest, that Christian liberty can giue no toleration to sin: for, Christ died to free vs from sinne, and not to let vs loose to sinne more freely: we were freed from sinne, that we might be seruants to righteousnesse, Rom. 6.18. Besides, God hates sinne by nature, and not by precept onely; and therfore God himself can giue no liberty to sinne: God himself cannot dispense with the breach of the Lawes that bee morall in themselues: and such Lawes as bee morall in themselues, I account to be all the ten Commandements, but the fourth. The fourth Commandement is morall by precept, not by nature; and so the Lord of the Sabbath may dispense with the literall breach of the Sabbath: but the other nine are simply indispensable. That Abraham was commanded to kill his sonne, was but a Commandement of triall. And when God willed the Israelites to take the iewels of the Aegyptians, hee did not will them to steal: for, God himself was chief Lord of all the earth, and all things therein; the Aegyptians were but his stewards.