An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

Paul calleth it, An affliction above measure, in the lower sphere of nature; but again he calleth it, A light one, in the higher sphere of grace. Even as an Astronomer, beholding the Sun with his bodily eye, judgeth it less than the Earth; but then again, beholding it with the instruments of Art, doth conclude, that it is many degrees bigger than the Earth. Thus the godly man, while he thinketh and speaketh according to the law of the flesh within him, he crieth out of his burdens, he is discontented at them, he look at them as destructive: but then again, when the same man considereth them by the principles of faith, and Scripture-grounds, then he seeth that those stones may be turned into bread; and from these thorns he may gather grapes. Even as we see in Christ, because he had two distinct Natures in a personal Union; therefore we say, Christ died, Christ was in agonies, and that because of his humane Nature; yea it is called, The blood of God. And again on the other side, Christ is said to be God, to create the world, to raise himself from the dead, and that because of his Divine Nature. As he was Son of God, so he was full of power and might upon the earth; As he was the Son of man, so he was subject to weakness and infirmity. Now here was no impossibility or repugnancy, that it should be thus different with Christ under several respects. Thus also it is with every member of Christ; As he is born of God, so he puts forth divine and gracious operations; but as he doth still retain some relics of his old birth: So there are sinful and infirm actions coming from him. Therefore when a godly man doth any thing, we must consider from what fountain it is, either the sweet fountain, or the bitter fountain that it sloweth from.

Paul calleth it, An affliction above measure, in the lower sphere of nature; but again he calleth it, A light one, in the higher sphere of grace. Even as an Astronomer, beholding the Sunne with his bodily eye, judgeth it lesse than the Earth; but then again, beholding it with the instruments of Art, doth conclude, that it is many degrees bigger than the Earth. Thus the godly man, while he thinketh and speaketh according to the law of the flesh within him, he cryeth out of his burdens, he is discontented at them, he lookat them as destructive: but then again, when the same man considereth them by the principles of faith, and Scripture-grounds, then he seeth that those stones may be turned into bread; and from these thorns he may gather grapes. Even as we see in Christ, because he had two distinct Natures in a personal Union; therefore we say, Christ died, Christ was in agonies, and that because of his humane Nature; yea it is called, The blood of God. And again on the other side, Christ is said to be God, to create the world, to raise himself from the dead, and that because of his Divine Nature. As he was Sonne of God, so he was full of power and might upon the earth; As he was the Sonne of man, so he was subject to weaknesse and infirmity. Now here was no impossibility or repugnancy, that it should be thus different with Christ under several respects. Thus also it is with every member of Christ; As he is born of God, so he puts forth divine and gracious operations; but as he doth still retain some reliques of his old birth: So there are sinfull and infirm actions coming from him. Therefore when a godly man doth any thing, we must consider from what fountain it is, either the sweet fountain, or the bitter fountain that it sloweth from.