Romans 12

Philippians 1:21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Hope is a Christian's anchor, which he casts within the veil (Romans 12:12). Rejoicing in hope.

1. Else we cannot serve God rightly; we can never worship God acceptably unless we worship him regularly: and how can we do that, if we are ignorant of the rules and elements of religion? We are told to give God a reasonable service (Romans 12:1). If we understand not the ground…

The world knows not what it is (1 Corinthians 2:14): The natural man receives not the things of God, neither can you know them. He knows not what it is to be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2), or what the inward workings of the Spirit means; these are riddles…

It is not only a coal that burns but blackens. Thirdly, we are spiritual in the performance of duty; we are more serious, reverent, fervent, we have more life in prayer, we put fire to the sacrifice (Romans 12, [illegible], fervent in spirit). We serve God with more love, which…

Cheerfulness shows that there is love in the duty; and love does to our services, as the sun does to the fruit — mellow and ripen them, and make them come off with a better relish. 2. Obedience must be devout and fervent (Romans 12:11). [reconstructed: fervent in spirit], and so…

It is sad, that after the sun of the Gospel has shined so long in our horizon, yet, to this day the veil should be upon their heart. Such as are enveloped with ignorance, cannot give God a reasonable service (Romans 12:1). Ignorance is the nurse of impiety: the Schoolmen say, Om…

2. By having the renewing of the Spirit, which is nothing else but regeneration, which is called a being born of the Spirit (John 3:5). This regenerating work of the Spirit is a transformation, or change of nature (Romans 12:2). [in non-Latin alphabet], Be transformed by the ren…

Though it takes not away the life, yet the love of sin. 2. A positive part, Vivification, which is the spiritual refining of the soul, which in Scripture is called a renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2), and a partaking of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The priests in the law no…

Is it not a wrong to God, to take his work out of his hand? He has said, 'Vengeance is mine, and I will repay' (Romans 12:19). But you will take upon you to revenge yourself: you will be both plaintiff, and judge, and executioner yourself.

It is the sense of abused kindness that causes contrition. (2.) Transformation, or change (Romans 12:2): "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Repentance works a change in the whole man: as wine put into a glass where water is, the wine runs into every part of the water…

Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Fervency puts life into duty (Romans 12:11). Fervent in spirit serving God; [illegible], boiling over.

God's furnace is to melt us and mold us into obedience. 2. God's mercies are to make us do his will; (Romans 12:1) I beseech you by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. Body is by a synecdoche put for the whole man.

Quest. 17. Which are the principal institutions of the Gospel to be observed in the worship of God? Answ. (1.) The calling, gathering and setling of Churches with their Officers, as the seat and subject of all other solemn instituted worship. (2.) Prayer with thanksgiving. (3.)…

So that no name could be fixed on with less probability to assert from it a special supreme order or degree of men in ministry, than this of bishops. Neither is there any mention in any place of Scripture, of any such preeminence of one sort of these church-officers or ministers…

(2) Hebrews 13:17; Acts 20:28. (3) 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 4:2; Romans 12:6, 7, 8. (4) 1 Timothy 6:20; Acts 20:28; Jude 3.

Answ. The Office of them that are Teachers, is one and the same among them all; but where there are many in the same Church, it is the will of Christ that they should be peculiarly assigned to such especial work in the discharge of their office power, as their gifts received fro…

Quest. 31. Are there appointed any Elders in the Church, whose office and duty consist in rule and government only? Elders not called to teach ordinarily, or administer the Sacraments, but to assist and help in the rule and government of the Church, are mentioned in the Scriptur…

(5) because in all the prayers of the Church, there is an especial regard had to himself, and the whole work of his mediation. (1) Luke 18:1; Chap. 21:36; Romans 12:5; 1 Timothy 2:1, 2. (2) Ephesians 4:8, 12, 13; Romans 8:15, 16; Galatians 4:6.

First, that in all the members of the Church there ought to be love without dissimulation. They are to be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love (Romans 12:9-10), which as they are taught of God, so they are greatly exhorted thereunto (Hebrews 13:1). This love is…

First, how by the fire of their own kindling — their own righteousness without Christ, such as the Pharisees had and Paul had before conversion — this should be meant, we must consider that he, speaking here to the Jews, alludes to the types of the old law with which they were a…

And look, as under the Law the burnt offerings were burnt all to smoke and ashes; so must we in our lives, wholly and altogether, give ourselves unto God, and renouncing ourselves, be nothing to the world, but wholly dedicated to God. Neither must we come unto him in our sins: f…

To do good and distribute forget not, for with such a sacrifice God is well pleased (Philippians 4:18). 5. Sacrifice is an holy life, which the Spirit of Christ forms in us (Romans 12:1). I beseech you brethren upon the mercifulness of God, that you present your bodies a living…

And this in the Church is twofold: (1) Of especial office; (2) of common love and charity. The rise, occasion and institution of an especial office or ministry towards the poor is at large declared, Acts 6, and mentioned afterwards by our Apostle as an abiding ordinance (Romans…

But all the ordinances and institutions of the Gospel do give light into, and exhibit the things themselves to the minds and faith of believers. Hereon they discern the reasons and grounds of their use and benefit; from where our whole worship is called our reasonable service (R…

But the first real effect of the internal promised grace of the Covenant is on the mind, the most spiritual and inward part of the soul. This in the New Testament is expressed by the renovation of the mind (Romans 12:1; Colossians 3:5), and the opening of the eyes of our underst…

If this at any time fall out otherwise, it is from the sins and wickedness of the persons in whom it is; in the nature of the things themselves, they thus depend on one another. See Ephesians 4:21, 22, 23, 24; Romans 12:2. That ignorance is the mother of devotion, is a maxim tha…

But there is something peculiar in the mention of it in this place. For (1) the due consideration of God as the living God, will discover how necessary it is that we be purged from dead works, to serve him in a due manner. (2) The nature of Gospel worship and service is intimate…

See (2 Corinthians 3:18; chap. 4:4, 6). Neither does it renew, change, or transform the soul into a conformity to the things known, by planting of them in the will and affections, as a gracious saving light does (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 6:17; Romans 12:1). These things I judg…

Our prayers and praises also, as he declares in the verse foregoing, are sacrifices to God, and accepted with him, ver. 15. Our whole obedience is our reasonable sacrifice, is a sacrifice acceptable to God (Romans 12:1). Yes, but in these fruits of benignity, bounty, charity, do…

And hence the Lord Christ in the trial of his Church, is compared to a refiner with fire (Matthew 3:2), so faith is tried (1 Peter 1:7). And it is the word which our Apostle uses when he enjoins us to try and search ourselves as to our sincerity in faith and obedience (2 Corinth…

Now the reply that faith makes to this enquiry, is the same that our Lord himself makes; let those good works be done, which may adorn the doctrine of God the Savior! It was argued, in (Romans 12:1), I beseech you brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies, a…

For example: in (1 Corinthians 7:34) he reads as we do, There is difference between a wife and a virgin; and not as the Rhemists have translated it out of the Latin. (Romans 12:19) he reads, Non vosmetipsos vindicantes, not avenging your selves: where the vulgar Latin has corrup…

For the nature of man is to pine away, and to grieve at the good of another; and contrariwise it is a work of grace to rejoice thereat. Paul says, Rejoice with them that rejoice (Romans 12:15). And this was the holy practice of the friends and neighbors of Zacharias and [reconst…

2. A righteousness imparted; which is the infusing the seed and habit of grace into the soul; the making a person internally holy. And so he is said to be righteous who has a change of heart wrought in him, and is transformed by the renewing of his mind (Romans 12:2). Such an on…

So godly Masters are said to have the Lord for their Master (Ephesians 6:9), knowing that your Master is also in Heaven: in the former place he says, a servant is God's freeman; and here, that a Master is God's servant. 3. It noteth designation to any public office for God's glo…

O, says nature, revenge is sweet — but O, says God, the effects thereof shall be bitter. How plainly has God forbidden this flesh-pleasing sin: Proverbs 20:22, 'Say not, I will recompense evil'; Proverbs 24:29, 'Say not, I will do so to him as he has done to me'; Romans 12:17, '…

This is that which opens the mouths of men wide against Religion, and woe to them that give the occasion, but let such vain pretenders to Religion know that godliness is nothing worth which is not attended with righteousness, and the grace of God, wherever it is in truth, will t…

Verse 17, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls. And what understands he by him that rules (Romans 12:8)? If the judgment of Gualther and Bullinger have any weight with him (as I suppose it has) they do not there exclude, but…

For by the same reason men might still continue in their sins, and not make any progress in knowledge and holiness, that so they may not seem unconstant, which were contrary to the Scripture, wherein we are commanded not to fashion ourselves according to the former lusts of our…

They who have place in the highest and most supreme assemblies of the Church, wherein the weightiest matters are determined, ought much more to be admitted into inferior meetings, such as Presbyteries are. But if we will speak with Scripture, we shall call them Ruling Elders (Ro…

THE office of Ruling Elders is not only maintained by [illegible] Cartwright, [illegible], Bucer[illegible], and others whom our opposites will call partial Writers, let him who pleases read the commentaries of Martyr, [illegible], Gualther, Hemmingius, Piscator, Paraus upon (Ro…

8. Some of all estates in the commonwealth voice in Parliament, therefore some of all sorts in the Church ought to voice in Councils and Synods; for de paribus idem judicium, a National Synod is that same to the Church, which a Parliament is to the commonwealth. 9. Those Elders…

Where, as Beza notes, he distinguishes the Word, which is the Pastor's part, from Doctrine, which is the Doctor's part. Even as (Romans 12:7-8) he distinguishes teaching from exhortation: and (1 Corinthians 12:8) puts the word of wisdom, and the word of knowledge for two differe…

Our third Argument is grounded upon (Romans 12:8). The Apostle has declared before that, as there are many members in one body, and all the members have not the same office, for the office of the eye is to see, of the eare to heare, &c. So are their gifts given to the severall o…

Our fourth Argument is drawn from 1 Corinthians 12:28, where we find again an enumeration of sundry offices in the Church (though not so perfect as that Romans 12), and among others, Helps, that is, Deacons, and Governments, that is, Ruling Elders. Where we cannot enough admire…

Bilson gives yet another sense, That there were two sorts of Elders, some who laboured in the word and doctrine, some who had the care of the poor: both were worthy of double honor; but especially they who laboured in the word. Answer. Deacons are distinguished from Elders, (Rom…

2. That expression if not exactly, yet competently is somewhat mysterious. 3. Ruling Elders are expressly distinguished from those that labor in the word and doctrine (1 Timothy 5:17), and from these that teach or exhort (Romans 12:7, 8). 4. If ruling Elders shall teach publicly…

Thirdly, as in the natural life, so in this, there is a taste, and palate, that helps this appetite. Be you changed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God (Romans 12:2); that is, that you may be able to discern…

And so all kind of evil and sin that would stick so fast upon us? In (Romans 12:9), Abhor that which is evil: to abhor it as well as to abhor Hell itself; it comes from a word that is used for Hell. Thus we should learn from wicked men's casting off what is good, to cast off tha…

We are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:23). To be transformed, by the renewing of our minds, etc. (Romans 12:2). You that have not considered what regeneration is, I tell you, it is to have your minds altered, and changed.