with the miracles that were done by them. For such like fables were wont to be heretofore, and yet to this day also in many places are proposed unto the people in stead of the word of God.
Vse 1. This may serve to admonish us, not to receive all things that are proposed, without triall and examination: for so we may imbrace fables in steed of the Gospell. 2. To exhort us, to give God thanks, that we live in those Churches, out of which all such old wives fables are wholly removed, and wherein nothing is proposed but the sincere word of God. Doct. 2. All those professors of the faith that do not adde vertue unto faith; and all those Preachers that do not with zeale and constancy stirre up the faithfull to labour for vertue, do greatly dishonour the Gospell, as if it were of the same nature with cunningly devised fables.
This is gathered from the connexion of these words with the words foregoing, which were explained in the Analysis. For this is the force of the Apostles reason; If I did account the truth of the Gospell like unto a cunningly devised fable, I could not so earnestly, and with such constancy stir you up to imbrace and adorne it; nor could ye receive those things that we have spoken of, without an endeavour to abound in vertue, if ye did not account them like unto cunningly devised fables.
Use 1. This may serve to admonish, 1. All Preachers to beware of carelessenesse and negligence in stirring up the people unto piety. And 2, All the faithfull also to beware of luke-warme and unfruitfull profession of the faith. For neither of them can be without an implicit and vertuall blasphemy. And they that so carry themselves, although they do not in words; yet they do in their deeds confesse, and make it to appeare, that they make no more account of the Gospell, then of an old wives fable. 2. To exhort us, to give all diligence to sanctify, as it were, the Gospell of Christ which we professe, and to shew it in our lives, that we think farre otherwise of the nature of it, then the profane multitude doth. Doct. 3. The summe of the Gospell consists in declaring the power and comming of Christ.
