The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole…

Object. To what hath been said in explication of this, you may make one Objection, Why the Apostle, if they were godly for the main, doth call them carnal: Is it not a certain Rule, that the denomination ought to be from the greater or better part? Do we not say, there is an heap of wheat, though some chaff and cockle be among it? And do not the Orthodox say thus to the Papists? For when the Papists say, That if there be corruption in every work we do, if a godly man hath a principle of sin in him, as well as of grace; Then (say they) we may as well call him a wicked man as a godly man, we may as well call it a sinful action, as a godly action.

Object. To what hath been said in explication of this, you may make one Objection, Why the Apostle, if they were godly for the main, doth call them carnal: Is it not a certain Rule, that the denomination ought to be from the greater or better part? Do we not say, there is an heap of wheat, though some chaff and cockle be among it? And do not the Orthodox say thus to the Papists? For when the Papists say, That if there be corruption in every work we doe, if a godly man hath a principle of sinne in him, as well as of grace; Then (say they) we may as well call him a wicked man as a godly man, we may as well call it a sinfull action, as a godly action.

To this it is answered, That seeing a godly man regenerated is made a new creature, and so that which is fundamentally predominant in him is grace; and sin is praeter naturam, beside his nature. Insomuch that the Scripture saith, Being born of God, he doth not sin, 1 John 3.9. He is a godly man, but not perfect. As a sick man is truly a man, if life be in him, though not a sound, healthful man. This must be granted; and therefore these Corinthians, that were godly for the main (we speak not of individuals, but indefinitely) when absolutely considered, are called Saints, 1 Cor. 1. and the Temple of the Lord, and the sanctified ones in Jesus Christ. But if we take them comparatively, as the Apostle here doth, then that Rule comes in, Minus boni respectu majoris, habet rationum mali. So that if these Corinthians were compared with others of greater progress, they were carnal. Even as in learning, one of competent knowledge, compared to an eminent Scholar, is but an ignorant man: so that this is spoken by way of reproach unto them. They suffer those remainders of corruption in them to prevail; they cut not off the hair, wherein the strength of sin lieth; they have a flux of this noisome blood running on them, and yet they seek not out to a Physician, to have it cured. Observe,