of How often is our Sauiour called God Thomas acknowledgeth him to be so when he saith vnto him d Ioh. 20. 28. My Lord and my God allnding questionless to the ordinary title which is giuen to God in the old Testament The Lord thy God e Exod. 20. 2. I am the Lord thy God f Leuit. 19. 10. I am the Lord your God g Deut. 4. 2. The commandements of the Lord your God And in a word the same Chapter affords vs the like examples 15. or 16. times So doth h Act. 20. 28. the Apostle Paul call him Take heed to all the flocke whereof the holy Ghost hath made you ouerseers to feede the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne blood Who purchased the Church with his blood but Iesus Christ Him therefore doth the Apostle call God And â—n another place he doubteth not bodly to affirme that Christ is God ouer all to be blessed for euer Of him it is that i Rom. 9. 5. Heb. 1. 8. the same Apostle saith Thy throne O God endureth for â—uer not only calling him God but professing him to â—e that God which in the beginning created heauen Verse 10 â—arth Thou Lord in the beginning laydst the foundation of of the earth I wil end with that in the l Reuel 4. 8. Reuelation The foure beasts ceased not day nor night sying Holy holy holy Lord God almighty But how should we be assured that by this Lord God Almightie Iesus Christ is signified That which followeth will put the matter out of doubt m Chap. 14. 8. which was and which is and which is to come For this â—â—â—he Title which is giuen to our Sauiour twice in the first Chapter of the same booke This also the 24. Elders presently after confirme when worshipping the same partie whom the foure beasts had honoured they speake thus Thou art worthy O Lord to receiue glory â—ap 4. 11. honour and power for thou hast created all things Aske the holy Apostle S. Paul who is the Creatour of all things Heâ—â— hath answered already that the Lord which laid the foundation of the earth is IESVS CHRIST the Sonne of God The same testimonie of him giueth our Euangelist in the next verse same one Heb. 1. 10. By him were all things made Iohn 1. 3. What should let then but we may conclude that Iesus beeing so often called God in Scripture is in deed very God The like I say of the title Lord by which the 70. translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that name Iehouah which is neuer attributed to any in the Scripture but onely to the true God neither indeede may it in any sort For it signifieth him This is spoken not the Greeke â—ut of the Hebrew word that hath his being of himselfe that giues to all things whatsoeuer being they haue yea it implieth such a being as is alwayes one the same euen eternall without beginning without ending without chaunge without successioÌ„ Now if this name be ascribed to our Sauior by holy Ghost how can it be doubted but that hee is very God And doth not o Iere. 33. 16 Ieremie ascribe it to him when he saith This is the name whereby they shall call him The Lord our righteousnesse or as it may better be read He that shall call her is the Lord our righteousnesse It is out of question that the Messiah is there spoken of whom the Prophet called Iehouah The Lord Or if any man will needes apply it to the Church he shall call her The Lord our righteousnesse which yet hath no warrant nor any great reason let him remember that the Church cannot haue this title but onely in respect of Christ her husband and head as she is also called Christ p 1. Cor. 12. 12. As the body is one and hath many members and all the members of the body which is one though they be many yet are but one body euen so is Christ that is the Church of Christ which being considered with her Head Christ is vouchsafed his name because she is his body Let vs come to the new Testament and leauing those places where the Disciples and such as intreate fauour for their curing of our Sauiour call him Lord because neither their word is any warrant for doctrine and it may be sayd they spake to him by that name as wee ordinarily doe when wee say Sir which indeede was common among the Grecians Let vs take such textes onely as can admit neither of these exceptions Of which kinde are the salutations vsed by the Apostles in the beginning of their Epistles q Rom. 1. 7. Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Iesus Christ Where not onely our Sauiour is tearmed Lord but acknowledged to be the Author and giuer of Grace and peace with God his Father But it were a vaine thing to heape vp many testimonies to this purpose No man can look into the writings of the Apostles but he shall see them in euery page Being the Lord then he must needs be God What should I stand vpon euery particular at large Who is the God of glory but Iehouah the great God of heauen and earth For so is he called that appeared to Abraham r Gene. 12. 1. 2 in Genesis The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham s Act. 7. 2. saith the holy Martyr Saint Steuen Aske the enemies of Christ the Iewes and they will tell you with one voice that this was the great God of Israel And yet the Apostle Paul giues this title to our Sauiour Christ where he saith that if the princes of this world had knowen the wisedome of God in the mysterie of our redemption t 1. Cor. 2. 8. They would not haue crucifiâ—d the Lord of glory Hereto belongs that Title u 1. Tim. 6. 15 the King of kings and Lord of lords And whereas some vaine men gouernours of some small part of this little spot of earth doting vpon their owne imagined greatnesse haue either giuen themselues this vnlimited title or accepted it being giuen by the palpable flattery of their base vassals yet alwayes the wiser sort tooke iust occasion thereby rather to scorne their presumptuous folly then to bee drawen into any admiration of their glorious power But the Lord Iesus our blessed Sauiour hath this name by good right as hee of whom â—ll the Kings of the earth hold their Crownes and Prou. 8 15. 16 Scepters By mee x saith hee that is the wisedome oâ— God Kings reigne and Princes decree iustice By mee Princes rule and the Nobles and all the Iudges of the earth y Psal 2. 8. Verse 9. For to him hath God giuen the heathen for his inheritance and the vtmost parts of the earth for his possession He shall crush them with a Scepter of Iron and breake them in peeces like a potters
commandement when hee appointed the foundations of the earth Then was I with him a nourisher and I was Ver. 30. dayly his delight reioycing alway before him But least any man should be so obstinate that this testimonie cannot resolue and satisfie him I will adde hereunto the witnes of q Psal 102. 25. another Prophet who calling vpon the Sonne of God speaketh thus of him Thou hast afore time layd the foundation of the earth and the heauens are the worke of thy hands If you doubt whether this bee spoken of the Sonne or no the holy Ghost shall assure you that it is by the pen of Saint r Hâ—b 1. 10. Paul who alleageth this place and applyeth it to our Sauiour Christ Of whome also hee had affirm'd a little before that God made the world by him It may be some man would knowe the reason why our Euangelist being to describe our Sauiour as the Creator of the world doth not vse the same kinde of speech which Moses doth and which also is common in the Scripture to that purpose Why doth hee not more particularly recite the things that were created by him and set out his glory therein at large as Moses doth I will tell you in as few words as I can And first I say of both questions together that therefore Saint Iohn did not speake either so or so largely as Moses had done before because Moses had so done and his purpose was not the same that Moses had in his writing More particularly and more plainely I say farther of the former doubt first that it is true and manifest that whereas Å¿ Gen. 1. 1. Moses named expresly the heauen and the earth our Euangelist sayeth in generall All things It is also cleere and certaine that ordinarily in the Scripture where God is spoken of as a Creator there the same things are mentioned Wee heard erewhile seuerall places to that purpose you may finde more at your leasure Wee preach vnto you sayth t Act 14. 25. the Apostle Paul to the men of Listra That yee should turne from these vaine things to the liuing God which made heauen and earth So u Isay 37. 16. sayth Hezekiah Thou art God alone ouer all the kingdomes of the earth thou hast made the heauen and the earth So x Ier. 32. 17. Ieremiah Thou hast made the heauen and the earth by thy great power yet saith our Euangelist By him were all things made Why so As well because by these words all that Moses sayd might and would easily be conceiv'd as also for that he would haue euen those things to be vnderstood whereof Moses had made no expresse mention Therefore also doth y Col. 1. 16. the Apostle Paul speake otherwise of the creation then Moses where hee sayth of our Sauiour Christ By him were all things created which are in heauen and which are in earth things visible and inuisible whether they bee Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers then follow the very wordes of our Euangelist All things were created by him Thus hath Saint Paul taught vs how to expound Saint Iohn All things visible and inuisible Of the later Moses sayth nothing expresly but rather by his particular description of the visible parts of the world seemes to tell vs that hee spake of them onely So might our Euangelist also haue been vnderstood if hee had so spoken whereas now wee are to expound him of both according as the Apostle directs vs. But why doth not Saint Iohn as the least follow Moses course and describe the particulars at large Because Moses was the first that euer writ that historie of creation and writ it of purpose to giue knowledge of it to all posteritie But our Euangelist neither needed doe that which which was perform'd so excellently so long before by another and intended not to set out the historie but rather to apply it to the present occasion Hee had also a more worthy matter to handle whereunto hee hasted the redemption of the children of God by the promised Messiah our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Giue mee leaue I pray you a little to consider the glorie of our heauenly redeemer and to insult ouer all such miscreants Iewes and Turkes as despise his gratious offer of saluation and refuse him as not worth the trusting in Whom dost thou contemne whose helpe doest thou thinke scorne of Canst thou not beleeue in him when thou considerest him in the Virgins wombe yet beleeue in him when thou beholdest him in the bosome of God what could he be but mortall that was made of mortall flesh Nay rather what could hee bee but immortall that made both flesh and spirit Thou sayest Hee is accursed that maketh flesh his arme and can hee be blessed thinkest thou that refuseth to make God his strength Shall the clay say to the potter Thou art of no power Shall not so presumpâ—uous a Clod of bak't earth bee broken all to peeces and beaten to dust That thou liuest mov'st breath'st that thou art that thou canst bee thus vnthankefull it is his and only his goodnes What doost thou plotting and deuising to ouerthrow his religion Beholde hee will take a way thy breath from thee and then all thy thoughts shall perish Doest thou not quake and tremble at the fearefull sound of the thunder that hee made Doest thou not flee away hide thy face from the flashes of lighting that come from him * Osc 2. 8. Doost thou not knowe that it is hee that giues thee Corne and Wine and Oyle and multiplies thy siluer and thy golde which thou wastest in making warre against him How long wilt thou proceed to harden thy wicked heart to thine owne destruction The weakest and meanest of his creatures a Exod. 8. 19. 25. Flies and Lice are stronger then all thy bandes of Ianizaries If the meditation of our Sauiour Christs Almightie power in creating all things will preuayle nothing at all with them but to 〈◊〉 urage them the more let vs leaue them to his iust indignation and apply the knowledge of this doctrine to the encrease of our owne faith and comfort And first let vs hearten our selues against the reproches and scornes of the weake and ignorant world They beleeue not in Iesus Christ Noe maruaile For they see him not but in the wombe in the manger on the Crosse in the graue They see but a peece a it were or rather the bark only of the tree of life But we to whom the same Lord that created the eyes of our bodies the naturall light of our vnderstanding hath giuen also the supernaturall light of faith beholde him a farre off euen beyond the beginning of the world and looking through the rinde of his humane nature see the pith and substance of his euerlasting Godhead not what it is but that it is Why shuld it be thought strange for men to relie wholly vpon him that made them Let me
or no. Let mee reason against thee as thy selfe didst ere while God will not haue all men to bee Schollers Therefore will I neuer bestow any paines in study I may say the like of Marchants Marriners Mercers Grocers and of euery trade So that by this gay reason no man shoulde euer betake himselfe to any course of life but wander idly vppe and downe or rather lye still and sterue And yet such are the goodly argumentes by which prophane men blaspheame the vnsearchable counsails of God and procure iust damnation to their own soules That which they may cleerely see they will not looke vpon That which they cannot possibly discerne they wil be alwaies gasing on They are curious to search out what God hath determined of them in himselfe Careless to vnderstand what he hath appointed for theÌ„ in his word It is set downe in plaine words and often that God will haue all men to bee saued and to come to the â— Tim. 2. 3. Tit. 2. 11. knowledge of his truth that the grace of God which bringeth saluation to all men hath appeared The Scripture is full of such speeches All these are past ouer as many anâ— as plaine as they are and wretched men to cloake their owne wickednesse wil heare and thinke of nothinge but Gods secret predestination I haue been too long in this point already let me conclude in one worde where the light shines if any maÌ„ be not inlightned it is because he cares not for the light not that the light hides it selfe from him Then maist thou conceiue good hope that sighest gronest vnder the burden of thine ignorance seeking by al meanes to come to knowledge VVill hee thinkst thou that offereth his light where it is refus'd despised withdraw it where it is desired and sought for He came as himselfe professeth to seeke and to saue Mat 18. 11. 12. 28. that which was lost And wil he cast away those that seek to him Com to me al ye that labour are heauy laden Doth he cal them to him that he may beat them away when come No no the promise followes And I will refresh you Him that comes to mee I cast not away saith hee in another Iâ—h 6. 37. place But I cannot come to him saist thou for want of knowledge Nay say I thou wouldst not come to him but that thou hast knowledge knoweledge that thou art a sinner knowledge that hee is a Sauiour Art thou not inlightned The darknesse doth not comprehend him No man acknowledgeth him truly to be the Lorde of life but hee that hath learned of God that hee is so It fares with thee as it did with Peter when the Angell brought him out of prison Hee rose and followed the Angell and knewe not that it was true Act. 12. 9. which was done by the Angell but thought it had beene a vision And it is said of the Iewes in the Psalme that they Psal 126. 1. were like men that dreamt when the Lord brought againe the captiuity of Sion Thy case is much like these mens Thou hast receiued light and knowst it not But admit thou wert not inlightned Surely thou maist bee if thou wilt The light thou seest shines all about thee wherefor but to bee seene and receiued why not by thâ—â— aswell as by an other It lights it inlightneth euery man Plucke vppe thy hearte wipe the teares from thine eies that dymme thy sight Doe not thinke thou hast no light because a farre of thou seest a greater then thine is If an other man haue a Torch or a Cresset to light him and thou but a candle to shewe thee the way yet thou art not without light Perhaps he hath farder to goe perhaps his way is more daungerous It may bee if thy light were greater thy care and heedfulnesse would be lesse God hath proportioned out thy light according to thy need thou hast light though not so much as thou wouldst haue If thou haue none thou shalt haue He inlighttens Act. 12. 9. Psal 126. 1 euery man that commeth into the world Such is the effect of the light in its owne nature such would it be in the hearts of men if it were receiued as it desires and ought to bee The Evangelist told vs before that the light shineth in darknesse but without any good intertainement The darknesse comprehended it not Those two points he amply fieth farder in these verses first the offer which the light makes of it selfe Hee was in the world He came to his owne Then the refusall of that offer the world knewe him not His owne receiued him not I will handle the verses as they ly and speak seuerally of His being in the world and not being knowne of his comming to his owne and not being receiued by them So that each verse hath two partes our Sauiour Christs kindnesse in offering and mens vnkindnesse in refusing In the former verse the offer is in these wordes Hee was in the world the refusall in the rest For the vnderstanding of the offer we must consider these 2 things what is meant by the world what by being in the world is signified The knowledge of these two points will discouer the Euangelists meaning First therefore of the world which hath diuers significations in the Scripture as this oneverse may teach vs where it is taken in two different senses at the least if not in 3. That I may speake of it as orderly and as plainly as I can wee are to vnderstand that The world generally signifies the whole creature or whatsoeuer was created The inuisible things of God saith the Apostle are seene by the creation of the world This is that Rom. 1. 20. world which in this verse is said to haue beene made by Christ The same a little before was called All things By him were all things made Only it may Verse 3. well be thought that in the former place the Angells are not signified because Saint Paul speakes of the knowledge of God by the light of nature which perhaps will not serue to shew vs the Angels In this sense also it is to be vnderstood wheresoeuer there is speech of the beginning or foundation of the world As hee hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world Eph. 1. 4. that is before any thing was created All other significations of the worde flowe from this one which is the first and principall varyed as necessity required or delight perswaded The next most generall obseruation is this that the worde is put for some part or member of the whole Sometimes for the whole frame compasse of heauen and earth wherein the rest of the creatures are contained So speakes the Apostle God Act. 17. 24. that made the worlde and all things that are therein If euery thing that Iesus did should bee written I suppose saith Saint Iohn the world would not containe the books Ioh. 21. 25.
and certaine meaning of the Euangelist and that according to the true iudgement of some auntient and later writers Here Arius bestirres himselfe and hearing that our Sauiour The VVord was with God hee dreames that Hee vvas nothing else but a created Spirit created indeede before the world but yet created as sayth hee it may euidently bee gathered because The VVord being with God was not God with whom he was Who is so blind as hee that wilfully refuseth to see Euery childe can answer Arius that The VVord was not God the Father with whome hee is sayde to haue beene yet was the same God distinct in person all one in nature so then hee was truely with the Father as another Alius nou aliud person not of a diuerse nature from the Father a◠another God Giue mee leaue heere I pray you to beginne a short examination and refutation of our Rhemists annotations vpon their Testament I will take them in my waie as I goe from verse to verse * Genebrard d◠Trinit lib. 1. Lindan dialog 2. Petrus Cams le Ioa. Baptista in praesat Some of the Papists of more reading then iudgement raysed a slaunder of Caluine as a blasphemer because hee denved CHRIST to bee God of God the Father and affirmed that being Iehouah hee was in that respect of himselfe This our Rhemists lay hold on and boldly enough censure him for blasphemy I haue no purpose to dispute the question with them neyther indeede do they so much as offer eyther to refute Caluines opinion or to confirm their own If shal be enough therfore to controll their malapertnesse and to ouer-waigh their presumption that a Bellarm. tom 1 de Chrisio lib. 2. cap. 19. Cardinall Bellarmine where he disputes the point of set purpose after he had considered all that the authours of that slander bring out of Caluin and examined Caluins writings himselfe refuseth to condemne him of anie such heresie as Genebrard Lindan Canisius and these Rhemists charge him withall Yea hee proceedes to alleage proofe out of Caluin that hee conceiued truely and writ accordingly of our Sauiour Christs diuine nature and person The summe of that which Caluine holdes touching this point is thus deliuered by Bellarmine that our Sauiours diuine nature is so of himselfe that if you remoue from the Son all relation to the Father there will remaine nothing but the diuine essence which is of it selfe That is in playne wordes If you consider our Sauiour as GOD onely not as the Sonne hee is not of the Father but of himselfe This is that daungerous heresie for which our iudicious Rhemists haue giuen sentence against Caluine as a blasphemer Bellarmine cleares him of the fault and condemnes onely the tearmes wherein hee deliuers his minde But it were easie to iustifie both the one and the other by the writings of b See Thom. de error Graec. cap. 4. Guliel Occhā Centilog Theolog conclus 62 Holkot in detec q. 5. art 2. ad 6. contra 1. concl q. 10. art 3. the most subtill Schoolemen if it were fit for this place and auditory In priuate I will bee readie to giue anie man satisfaction But to leaue these matters whereinto the peruerseness of men hath drawn vs to return to the Euangelists purpose It is to be held for an vndoubted truth in diuinity that our Sauiour the VVord was with God before the beginning of the world will you heare him say as much of himselfe c prouer 8. 27 Ver. 29. 30 VVhen he prepared the heauens I was there when hee set the compasse vpon the deepe A little after when hee appointed the foundations of the earth then was I with him Not onely reioycing to see the glory of God his Father but beeing himselfe full possesser of that glory which shone so bright that when he came into the world ouer-shadowed with the darkenes of our humane nature yet all the Angels of God discerned it and d Heb. 6. 1. fell downe to worship him The comfort of a poore distressed soule is in e 1. Cor. 2. 2. Iesus Christ crucified But the glory of a Christian is in Iesus Christ reigning with God his Father Therefore when the ende of his life approached f Iohn 17. 24. He prayed that all which his Father had giuen him might be euen where he was that they might behold his glory which God had giuen him But what glory meanes he Any new honour of late vouch saf't him No no. It is the same glory which he alwayes had and shall haue Glorifie me thou Father with Verse 5. thine owne selfe with the glory which I had with thee before the world was Let mee speake now to thee poore soule whosoeuer thou art that findest thy selfe grieuously vexed and daungerously assaulted by Sathan concerning these great mysteries of Religion would hee haue thee doubt whether our blessed Sauiour was before his mother or no The holy Ghost assures thee by the penne of our Euangeiist that The word was in the beginning Doth he presse thee farther to tell him where he was as if he could not be because there was no world for him to be in Herein also the wisedome of God hath preuented him The Word was with God Thou art perswaded assuredly that God was before the world else how should hee haue created the world Canst thou tell me where he was or doest thou thinke hee is any where now where hee was not then This goodly frame of the world which thou beholdest and wonderest at not without great cause is not any new house built for God to dwell in but a faire peece of workemanship that thou mightest see a little shadow of the workemans skill power and glory God is a Spirit infinite in all perfections that cannot remooue from one place to another because hee is euery where If thou canst beleeue these things which the very light of Nature can teach thee thou hast wherewithall readily to answere Satan The Word was with God If thou Satā dar'st not nor canst for very shame deny or doubt that God was before the foundations of the world were layd where thou seest God I see the Word my appointed Sauiour with him This I take to be the true natural sense of the words and the very proper meaning of our holy Euangelist S. Iohn Now let vs adde the other obseruations rather then interpretations which as before I signified are not directly intended but necessarily followe vppon the former doctrine And first we will consider that which shewes our Sauiours Diuine Nature then we will deliuer those poyntes which concerne his person both shortly and plainely as it shall please God to vouchsafe assistance Now the Diuine Nature or Godhead of our Sauiour Christ appeares in this that being with God when as yet there neuer had bin any thing created he culd be no other but God For how is it possible that when there is nothing but God that
which is then should not bee God If you say with Arius that hee was created you deny that the beginning of all creation is truely described by Moses when he saith g Gen. 1. 1. In the beginning God created heauen and earth For if that you say bee true the most excellent part of the creation was already past namely the making of him by whom all these things afterward were created Who taught this strange Diuinity Where is any such thing recorded in any part of Scripture Who is so shamelesse as to say he hath it by reuelation Who so senselesse as to beleeue him that will say so This is our wisedome to know what it hath pleased God to reueale to vs in the Scripture either expresly or by consequence and to accompt nothing else a matter necessary to bee beleeued So then when we read or heare that our Sauiour was with God wee learne thereby that hee is himselfe God For what can be bee but God that had his being before and without all creation The word perhaps troubles thee because he is said to haue beene with God and therefore as it may seeme not God but an other An other Thou saiest well h Tertullian contra PraxeaÌ„ cap. 8. For hee is indeede in person as I aunswered once before another But where thou saiest not God thou â—rt deceiued vnlesse by God thou vnderstand the person of the Father VVith God signifies distinction of person not diuersitie of Nature Therefore i some learned Diuines by with thinke the holy Ghost meant to note his coniunction with Hilar. de Triit lib. 2. God the Father whereby they are one in vnitie of the same Diuine substance To which also they apply that which followeth in this Chapter where k Iohn 1. 18. The onely begotten Sonne is said to bee in the bosome of the Father and that l Ioh. 14. 10. 11 Chapter 14. I am in the Father and the Father in me yea m Epiphan â—aeres 93. saith one He is so with God that hee is in the substance of God and his very nature Wherfore if at any time thou beest disquieted by the word with as if it â—mplied some difference betwixt God and the Word remember that God signifies the person of the Father â—rom whom the Sonne is truly and really distinguisht â—et not by the nature of his Godhead which is one in both but by the property of his being the Sonne in which the Father and hee are alwayes not one but two â—he one the Father the other the Sonne And this last point concerning our Sauiour Christs person n Tertullian contra PraxeaÌ„ cap. 12. is manifestly vndoubtedly prooued by this part of the verse For it cannot bee imagined that any thing beeing in all respects one and the same should bee saide to bee with it selfe or in it selfe The word was with God If there be no distinction betwixt the word God how can it be conceiued that the word was with God I shall neede to spend the lesse time and paines in this matter because none but o August de haer cap. 4. the Sabellians euer made question of it They deceiued themselues and other men with an vnlikely fancy against euidence of Scripture that God was but one person called in diuers respects sometimes the Father sometimes the Sonne sometimes the holy Ghost But what respect can make this speech reasonable if there be but one person in the Godhead Let vs consider the point a little better Dauid was in regard of his gouernment a king in respect of his sonne Salomon a father in relation to his wife Bersheba an husband for his generall nature a man May I say of him because of these diuers respects that the father of Saelomon was with Dauid or with the man meaning Dauid Would not a man laugh at the absurditie of such a speech It cannot be then but that hee which was with God was really distinct or was truely and indeed another from him with whom hee was No respect will free the speech from a iust imputation of absurditie if the partie spoken of bee one and the same as well for person as for nature I reserue the farder handling of this matter till I come to the end of the verse following where I purpose if it please God to deliuer the doctrine of the holy Trinitie It may also farder be gathered that the Euangelist in saying The word was with God would haue vs to vnderstand that he p Gal. 4. 4. which in the fulnesse of time appointed by God tooke flesh of the Virgin Mary was till that time with God though vnseene and vnknowen to the world not as if he were not there still for euen while he was here vpon the earth he was also at the same time continually in heauen q Ioh. 3. 13. 17. 23. The Sonne of man which is in heauen and I will that they be where I am but because he came into the world where before he had not beene in the nature of man Heereto belongeth that which is other-where written by the r 1. Iohn 1. 2. 3. same Saint Iohn VVee declare vnto you the eternall life which was with Father and was made manifest to vs. Hee was with the Father from euerlasting he appeared in the world at the appointed time So is he now againe with God because he is no longer visible on earth as sometimes he was We may also adde hereunto that Å¿ Ambros de incarna domini Greg. Nysten de fide ad Simplic Rupertus aâ— hunc locum Cyril Hieorosol Cateches 11. this being with the Father implies the glory he had and hath with him as if he should haue said The word which was in the beginning was at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father equall to the Father Why seeke you the Creator amongst the Creatures If you desire to know where the VVord was consider that he was at the right hand of God the Father partaker of that glory which the Lord neither will nor can giue to any which is not the same God with him But of this enough Let vs come to the last part of the verse And the VVord was God or as the Greeke words lie God was the VVord but our tongue will hardly beare that kind of speech vnlesse the sense be altred For if you say God was the VVord an English man will conceiue that you tell him what God was and not what the Word was The Greeke and Latine may well beare such placing of the words the English will not yet perhaps it had beene plainer euen in the Greeke to haue set the words in order as the sense of them was intended and to haue said The word was God But the Euangelist as I noted once before vpon occasion followed an elegancie of speech which had bin lost if he had kept the naturall order of the words In the beginning was the
vessell Therefore are they aduised and charged to kisse the Son least he be angry to their destructiō Verse 12. There is good cause then why he should be stiled the Lord of lords and King of kings What though he be the Lambe meeke and tender yea bound and slaine yet * Reuel 17. 14. shall he ouercome the 10. kings that fight against him For he is the Lord of lords and King of kings yea a Reuel 19. 16. he hath that name written vpon his garment vpon his thigh The king of kings and Lord of lords His glory his strength shew him to be no lesse And can we doubt whether hee bee God or no If I should recite the Attributes or Epithets which being proper to God are belonging to our Sauiour Christ If I should but name those admirable effects of his which are aboue the strength of any and all creatures the time would sooner faile me then varietie of matter which doth offer it selfe to me so plentifully that it is harder to find where to make an end thē what to say Do you wonder at the eternity of God as a thing not to bee reacht vnto by the conceit of man Behold him that is b Reuel 1. 8. A Ω the beginning the ending which was which is and which is to come What say I was is is to come Thus indeed hath it pleased our gratious Sauiour to speake of his eternall being to our capacity But let vs heare him speake more like himselfe that is more like God c Iohn 8. 58. Before Abraham was I am This is a speech better beseeming his maiesty For nothing can be properly said of him concerning his being but onely that he is That which was either is not at all or at the least is not in all respects the same that it was That which is to come as yet either hath no being at all or surely no such being as is signified it shall haue in time to come But what stand I repeating that which before I deliuered Let vs passe from this infinitenesse in time which wee call eternitie and come to another like attribute which wants a name but belongs to quantity and might be tearmed Immensitie if our eares and vnderstanding were acquainted with it As eternity signifies the infinitenesse of God in time so doth Immensitie in greatnesse d Isai 61. 8. Thus saith the Lord The heauen is my throne and the earth is my footstoole There is no number of yeeres that can expresse the Lords Eternitie no compasse of place that is able to containe his Immensitie e Psal 139. 7 Verse 8. Whither shall I flee from thy presence saith the king of Israel that had choice enough of roome wherein to hide himselfe If I ascend into heauen thou art there If I he downe in hell thou art there Let me take the wings of Verse 9. Verse 10. the morning and dwell in the vttermost parts of the Sea yet thither shall thy hand leade me and thy right hand shall hold me But what need many particulars Hee that is present in heauen and in earth can be shut out of no place whatsoeuer our Sauiour is ascended into heauen yet is he still present with his children here in earth f Matth. 28. 2◠Behold I am with you till the end of the world By his power you wil say not by his presence Doubtlesse an infinite power such as protecteth the Church of Christ cannot be in a finite nature Let vs heare him speake more plaine g Matth. 18. 20 Whersoeuer two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Or if this also may applied to power yet that place is without exception h Iohn 3. 13. No man ascendeth vp to heauen but he that came downe frō heauen the Son of man which is in heauen He came downe frō heauen because being God he became man he was for all that still in heauen because being man he ceased not to be God Therefore also while he was aliue on earth before his passion he doubted not to auouch that hee was euen then in heauen i Iohn 17. 24 Father I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am that they may behold that my glory Where is that to be seene but in heauen For so hath our Sauiour said himselfe before in that prayer And now glorifie me thou father with thine Verse 5. owne selfe with the glory which I had with thee before the world was Not as if heauen or neuer so many heauens were able to conteine that his infinite glory which can be no way bounded by any meanes but because there i◠shews it self most apparātly Shal I need to add hereunto his power or rather Almightinesse k Reuel 1. 8 I am A Ω the beginning the ending saith the lord which is which was which is to come euen the Almighty And twice afterward in the same booke he is called l Reu. 4. 8. 11. 17. The Lord God Almighty But if the Scripture had not said any such thing of him yet his admirable works sound out his power glory The heauens m Psal 19. 1 sayth the Prophet declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth the worke of his hands Yea the signs which he did in the sight of his friends enemies were so high aboue the power of man that they may assure vs n Ioh. 20. 31 that our Sauiour Iesus Christ was the Sonne of God But of these in the Gospell oftentimes hereafter if it please God euen God the Sonne IESVS CHRIST of whom we speake But ere I proceed any farder I must againe encounter the Arians who bend all their forces to ouerthrowe the God-head of our Sauiour Christ Do you not perceiue say they that although hee be called God yet he is not so indeed by nature but by fauour Haue you not obserued that in the second clause where the true God is spoken of there the article is added in the text o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Word was with the God as you would say The true God but here in the third part the same article is omitted as if the holy Ghost would haue vs know thereby that he hath his God-head such as it is onely by grace and that diuers from him that is the true God O that foolish men should take such paines to kick against the prickes and to procure their owne destruction Can there be more force in the omitting of one poore letter to make you denie our Sauiours diuine nature then in so many reasons to wring out of you a confession therof p Origen in Ioa. lib. 2 Too much curiosity in an opinion of this learned obseruation hath deceiued you Is not Iesus Christ the true God because the article is not added Or is the article neuer omitted where
heapes of all sorts of people slocked to him The couetous Luk. 3. 12. 14. Publicans were content to heare him reprooue their greedinesse and extor ion The desperate souldiers trayned vp in violence and insolencie submitted themselues to his instruction and baptisme What should I speake of the proud Pharises who had bewitcht all Mat. 3 7. men with an opinion of their purity and holinesse and none more then themselues yet were they glad to come to Iohn to be washed and purified by his Baptisme The Sadduces were little better theÌ„ professed Atheists Act. 23. 8. saving There is no resurrection neither Angell nor spirit What neede these men care for sinne or damnation And yet the ministerie life doctrine of Iohn the Baptist was such that euen these Miscreants were drawne to seeke to him I say nothing of Herod because I signified before that hee reuerenced Iohn and heard him gladly and followed his doctrine in many things Tell mee Mark 6. 20. now what you could desire more I had almost sayd what you canne imagine more in any man to make him of credite and authoritie that hee may bee beleeued in that hee constantly affirmes If the Lord should haue made a man in Heauen as hee did Adam heere on earth and haue sent him into the world in the sight of all men hee could not haue beene of more estimation then Iohn Baptist was And was not this a meruailous likely meanes to begette faith in the Iewes that such a man so extraordinarily sent so admirable in his bringing vppe so vnblameable in his life so sound in his doctrine and which is all in all to this purpose of such reputation for his sinceritie and precisenesse so plainely and constantly protested that Iesus was the Sauiour of the worlde and himselfe no better then his vnworthie seruant â—oh 1. 27. I am not worthy sayde Iohn to vnloose his shooe latchet Let vs therefore acknowledge the goodnesse of God who voutchsafed to vse such meanes for the teaching and perswading of so vnkinde and vnthankfull a people But the necessitie of sending Iohn and the kindnesse of the LORD in sending him will the more appeare if wee aduisedly consider both the ignoraunce of the Iewes and the meanenesse of our Sauiours estate while hee was in the Worlde It is true that the LORD had from time to time giuen notice and made many promises of the comminge of the Messiah It is as true that the sette time of his comminge was foretoulde and cast vp by Daniell insomuch that olde Symeon and Luk. 2 25. 26. in all likelihood some others vnderstood that the time of his appearance was come and with the good Widowe Anna looked for it euery moment But alasse Ver. 36. 37 how few of these were to bee found The people generally as it is now amongst vs had little knowledge of the Scriptures They heard them read and many times expounded in their Synagogues as wee â—ow doe in our Churehes but they were as farre from the true vnderstanding of them as wee commonly now â—â—e Daniels weekes were as great mysteries to them â—â— the Reuelation of Saint Iohn is to vs so that they â—ereâ—n table to compare his prophecie with the Eâ—ents that had fallen out and to subduct the time â—hat was past that they might see what the rest was And this I speake of the better sort of the common people The worst and greatest part had seldome aâ—y thought of these matters no more then wee now ordinarily haue of the last day of Iudgement Beâ—ides the most part of them that desired his comming â—ookt for another manner of deliuerance by him then our Sauiours estate in the World was likely to afford And this conceite had taken such roote in their hearts that our Sauiour Christs owne Disciples held it fast in them euen till the very time of his Ascension Act. 1. 6. Lord say they wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Israell It was an outward freedome and glorious estate in this life which the Iewes promised theÌ„selues by the comming of the Messiah What was there in our Sauiours parentage bringing vp or course of life that could feed this hope His supposed Father Mat. 13. 55. a poore Carpenter vnder whome hee was imployed â—â—mselfe in the same trade and therefore is called a Carpenter Is not this the Carpenter Maries sonne And Mat. 6. 3. what was his life hee wandred from place to place noâ—ieâ— â—ng armâ—es not mustring souldiers not perswading any man to take vppe armes but disclaiming all worldly autority Who made me a Iudge or a diuider ouer you inioyning obedieÌ„ce to Princes rulers Giue vnto Luke 12. 14. Maâ— 22. 21. 20. 28. Caesar the things that are Caesars Yea professing that hee came to serue and not to be serued This being at the time of our Sauiours comming the estate of the lewes they either carelesse of â—is assistance or ignorant of the nature thereof his owne condition also being so meane and contemptible was it not gratiously done of God and in respect of the people necessarily to send one of such credit and autority to assure them that Christ was the Messiah in whom they ought to trust and to teach them what deliuerance they were to looke for by him Christ needed no testimony of any man But the Iewes stood in great need of Iohn to informe them concerning him It were not lost labour to bestow some time in the consideration of the goodnesse of God in yeelding so much to the Iewes weaknesse or râ—ther in striuing with such patience and bounty against their obstinat wilfulnesse I might also take occasion to stirre vp our selues to trust in God of whose kindnesse wee haue so plaine and so great experience But I am willing to forbeare both these points till I come to some other place where they are more directly intended by the purpose of the Euangelist In the meane while let vs go forward with the expounding of this Scripture wherein as we haue heard the office of Iohn is amplified in this verse by the ende of it That all men through or by him might beleeue Whereof that I may speake the more plainely and certainely I will first examin what this ende is To beleeue by him Secondly I will consider the quality of it or who they were that should beleeue The former hath these two doubts what is here meant by belieuing to whom this Him must be reffer'd whether to Iohn the witnesse or to the light of which he bears witnes might beleeue through him Now because Beleeuing is a word of so common great vse in the Scriptures and that this is the first place where it is mentioned in this Gospell I hold it not only requisit but necessary for me to speake of it somwhat more at large To beleeue in matter of religion is commonly taken to signifie 3 things The acknowledging of Gods being Credere Deum
that should be written VVhat worlde may bee said to containe or not to containe but the space of heauen and earth Sometimes it is taken more particularly for the earth where men liue and this Mat. 4. 8. is very common The Deuill shewed our Sauiour all the kingdomes of the world As long as I am in the worlde saith our Sauiour I am the light of the worlde Ioh. 9. 5. In what worlde was our Lorde when hee said so Heere on earth amonge men whose light hee vvas Into this worlde hee sent his disciples Goe into all Mat. 28. 15. the worlde that is into all partes and coastes of the earth To this signification of the worde belonges that in the verse next before and such other places Euery man that commeth into the world that is Verse 9. Ioh. 16. 21. borne In an other text it is more plaine A woman when shee is deliuered of child remembreth her anguish no more for ioy that a man is borne into the world These significations are common and well knowne as comming neere to the ordinary and first vse of the worde Besides these it is very often taken more especially or Men who are the principall parts of the world and for whome the whole was made VVhen the worlde 1. Cor. 1 21. in the wisedome of God knewe not God by wisedome Knowledge is proper to men and belongeth not to any other of these visible creatures God was in Christ 2. Cor. 5. 19. reconciling the world to himselfe not imputing their sinnes To whome are sinnes forgiuen but to men Who are reconciled vnto God by Christ but men IIee tooke Heb. 2. 16. not the Angells who shall euer remaine vnreconciled But hee tooke the seede of Abraham Thus the world signifieth in generall all kinde of men whatsoeuer But because that naturally men are naught and wickked the worde is sometimes put in particular for the wicked and almost for wickednesse You are of the world saith our Sauiour to the Iewes that woulde Ioh 8. 23. 77. not beleeue I am not of this worlde The worlde cannot hate you saith hee in an other place but mee it hateth They are of the worlde saith Saint Iohn of tâ—e false teachers that denyed Iesus to bee come 1. Ioh. 4. 5 in the flesh Therefore speake they of the vvorlde and the world heareth them In this respect is the Deuill called the Prince of the worlde Yea the world is as it Ioh 12. 31. 1. Ioh. 2. 16. were the fountaine of naughtinesse All that is in the worlde saith Iohn as the lust of the flesh the lust of the eies and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the worlde I may adde in the last place that the riches honours pleasures and such like that the worlde affordes are tearmed sometimes by the name of the worlde though they bee not so much partes as appurtenances thereof VVhat should it profit a man though he should winne the whole worlde if hee lose his owne Mar. 8. 36. soule VVhat is this whole worlde but the honours pleasures and riches of the world But I haue stood too long vpon this matter Let vs now apply it to our present purpose for the vnderstanding of the holy Ghosts meaning But we cannot certainely determine in what sense the world is here spoken of till we knowe of what being in the world the Euangelist is to be vnderstood Now our Lord may be said to haue beene in the worlde in two respects either as he was God or as he was the Messiah In the former sense he was alwaies and is still and euer shall bee after the same sort in the world In the later he was not in the world till he tooke flesh of the Virgin his mother nor since his ascension into heauen As God by his prouidence power and wisdome he maintaines and gouernes al things As the Messiah he taught and informed the world of his Fathers will touching the saluation of mankind His being in the world as God was and is for the preseruation of naturall life His presence as Messiah was to bring supernaturall life by the light of grace Whether of the two is it moâ—e likely the holy Ghost meaneth in this place If we vnderstand it of the former seeing hee speakes not of the nature of the Godhead which is the same in all three persons but of the person of the Sonne how can the world be iustly condemned for not knowing him wheÌ„ he was present For it is a rul'd case in diuinity that the mystery of the Trinity cannot bee discerned by the light of nature or gathered from any contemplation of the creatures It is true indeed that since it pleased God to reueale this incomprehensible secret many men haue labored to set forth the point by similitudes and to apply somethings in the creatures to the manifesting of the trinity in vnity But all the light they bringe to this point is such as rather shewes that themselues were perswaded of that truth then is of force to conuince their Iudgement that will not beleeue In one worde they giue vs to vnderstand that such a thing in likelyhood maye bee they doe not demonstrate that of necessity it must bee As for those shadowes of this mystery which seeme toly hid heere and there in the writinges of some Philosophers neither are they sufficient to argue that the penners of those books acquainted with the doctrine of the Trinitie and they are so sparingly and fearfully deliuered that a man may easily see they were altogether vncertaine of the truth and almost of the meaning of that they writ And in what authors doe wee meete with any shewe of these matters but onely in theÌ„ who profess they receiued their instruction from the Egyptians and Chaldeans who learned those points by Tradition from Noah and so from Adam to whom God reuealed the knowledge thereof or else are knowne to haue beene the Schollers of the Hebrewes from time to time Neither doth it suite well with the course of our Euangelists writing to expound this being in the world of such naturall maintaining thereof For the whole discourse from the beginning of the fourth verse as I haue shewed is a description of the Messiah Such was the life that wee haue in him such the light wee receiue from him wholly supernaturall Of that Iohn beares witnesse not of his creating or preseruing all thinges That was it which he laboured to haue all men beleeue That is the thing which our Euangelist denies of the Baptist Hee was not the light In regard of that is our Sauiour called the true light Who shall perswade mee then to apply this verse to his diuine power of preseruation and not to the gratious worke of his medâ—ation especially considering the next verse is generally for the most part so interpreted and as it is apparant by the verse following ought to be Wherfore I willingly subscribe
signifies the earth the place where men ordinarily liue abide so that by Christs being in the world as I sayd his conuersing and liuing vpon the earth among men was noted In the second part The worlde was made by him that I may dispatch this point at once the worde is taken in the most generall sense for all thinges created heauen and earth and whatsoeuer is contained in them This last clause affordes vs a third signification of the worde more particularly then either of the other The world knewe him not It was not required nor could bee lookt for that the frame of the heauens or the Globe of the earth that the Sunne Moone or Starres that the beasts of the fielde the foules of the ayre or the fishes of the Sea shuld take knowledge of the Messiah None but such creatures as were indued with reason could bee capable thereof The Angells it concerned not neither are they at any time called the world It remaines then that by the world men onely are signified And of them it is sayd that They knew not Christ In what respecft did they not knowe him As hee is God Almightie the Creator and preseruer of all things he was generally acknowledged through the world For there neuer was any people so rude or barbarous but they had a perswasion that there was a God and that hee was to bee worshipt But herein as the Apostle sayth They are without excuse because knowing God they Rom. 1. 21. do not glorifie him as God neither are thankefull yea as it followeth afterwards they turne the truth of God into Ver. 25. a lye and worshippe and serue the creature rather then the Creator By which it is manifest that the Euangelist doth not speake heere of our Lords being in the world by his continuall prouidence and gouernment as I noted before Neither may wee vnderstand it of the Person which by no light of nature either bred in the soule or receiued from the creatures could possibly be descryed Therefore wee must needes interpret this knowledge of acknowledging our Sauiour for the Messiah and resting vpō him accordingly for spiritual deliuerance frō sinne death and damnation It is further to bee obserued in this part of the verse that the Euangelist chaungeth his speech and whereas before hee had spoken the light to which It should aunswere now in steede of that hee sayth him The worlde knewe him not Whome did not the worlde knowe In the next verse before hee mentioned the light Therefore he should now haue sayde The worlde knewe it not The Greeke expresseth neither It nor him in the two former clauses but because in this last the Euangelist expoundes himselfe saying him and not it therefore wee supply that worde in both the other As for the reason why Saint Iohn vseth the vseth the worde him wee must remember that hee speakes of the person of the Messiah howsoeuer hee describe him by calling him the life and the light Now to the person Hee and Him agree verie fitly In the Originall The Word is of the same gender that hee is of yet might wee not so speake of it in English but that wee haue respect in our speech rather to the person then to any titles by which he is described to vs. Thus then wee are to conceiue the Euangelists meaning that to amplifie the kindnesse of our Sauiour in offering saluation to the worlde hee sets foorth the great and incredible vnkindenesse of men who would not or at the least did not acknowledge him that they might bee saued But you will say This complaint is too generall against the world seeing it is well knowne euen by record in the Gospell it self that from time to time many beleeued in him This some men discerning restraine the worlde to the wicked of the Chrysost hom 7. in Ioan. world who refused to beleeue But the accusation in the Euangelist is all one though wee so expound it The worlde sayeth hee knewe him not And I thinke wee shall hardly finde the worlde anye where in Scripture taken for the wicked but where there is some opposition exprest or signified betwixt them and the godly I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast giuen mee out of the world Ioh 17 9 Who sees not that in this sentence the world or wicked are opposed to the godly whome the Lord hath chosen out of the world And yet euen in this and the like examples we may very well by the world vnderstand men in generall The worlde cannot hate Chap 7 7. you but mee it doth hate What is that else but as if our Lord should haue sayde men cannot hate you but they hate me It is true indeede that the reason of this hatred is the wickednesse of men but this wickednesse is so generall that it may truly be affirmed of the world in such generall tearmes The fore although some few whose hearts it pleased God extraordinarily to inlighten and incline did confesse him to bee the Messiah yet generally the world did not know him as Saint Iohn not without cause complaynes For to whome may it not worthily seeme strange that a personage of such worth excellency should make himselfe knowne to men in such a wonderfull sort and yet not bee acknowledged to bee such an one as apparantly he was The fame of his doctrine spred it selfe abroade in all places in so much that it was knowne in Rome The light of his glorious miracles shone farre and neere to all the Countries that bordered vpon Iewrie or had any ordinarie traffick with the Iewes in those parts Paul and Barnabas hauing wrought a miracle vpon a poore Cripple at Listra the people lifted vp their voyces saying in the Lycaonian tongue Gods are Act. 14. 11. come downe to vs in the likenesse of men Yea this opinion rested not among the common sort but stretched to the wise and learned in so much that Iupiters Priest Ver. 13. brought Bulles with Garlands and would haue sacrificed with the people Behold I pray you what effect one miracle was able to worke in the hearts of so great a multitude The workers of it were taken for Gods and those none of the meanest They called Barnabas Iupiter Ver. 12. and Paul Mercurie Iupiter was the chiefe of the Heathen Gods and Mercurie his sonne of especiall imployment in all matters of importance Neither stayed they here but prepared their sacrifices in the best manner Bulles with Garlands and brought them to bee offered vp Compare our Lords manie and admirable miracles with this one worke of the Apostles supposing it had beene done by their owne power and vertue Looke not that I should stand to reckon vppe the particulars take a viewe of them in grosse as they are reheaised to Iohns Disciples The blind receiued sight the halt were made able to goe the lepers Mat. 11 5. were cleansed the deafe had their hearing the
dead were raysed vp Neither were these things done once onely but often and ordinarily Some that were borne blinde had eyes and sight giuen them when Ioh 9 1. they were growen to mans estate Some that had Chap. 11. 39. 44 lyen in the graue till they were thought to bee putrified were quickned by his voyce and made to liue againe vpon the earth to the amazement of al that knew them I appeale now to the iudgement of all indifferent men What could the world imagine in this case To deme that such miracles were wrought it was absurd and senselesse Their owne eyes refuted them Should they haue excepted against the trueth of that which seemed to bee done Triall by sense would haue conuinced them Perhappes they might ascribe them to naturall causes All reason Physicke and Phylosophy disclayme that power Must wee not of necessitie confesse vnlesse we will bee altogether shamelesse that none but God was able to doe such wonders was it possible then hee should not bee knowne I see wee are all readie to inueigh against their blindnesse if they could not their peruersnesse if they would not knowe him And I confesse they deserue to bee infamous for it to all posteritie But it is more honour to rescue a friende then to kill an enemie More wisedome to looke that there bee nothing in our selues worthy or such iust blame then to reprooue the faults of otheâ— men It was the sinne and shame of those times that the Messiah liuing in that sort amongst men was acknowledged by fewe or none of them Are men in these dayes excusable you will say I. They are perswaded that Iesus is indeede the Sauiour of the world Whence aryseth this perswasion It is rather suckt in with our nurses milke then receiued by the instruction of our teachers Wee hould it because it is commonly beleeued not because it is certainely true Wee heare not of any other meanes and therefore wee are content to accept of these They are not chosen by vs vppon our owne iudgement but taken vpon common credite We follow the tyde and streame of the flood being readie to turne with the water whensoeuer it shall ebbe I would to God olde experience did not cause new doubt It is an imputation that lyes vpon our Nation generally as the writers of histories record that we coÌ„quer easily and loose as easily wee get many Townes and Forts yea sometimes Kingdomes but wee hold them not long God forbid it should bee so in religion Our acknowledging of the truth is not so commendable or blessed as our deniall would bee shamefull and cursed But I must remember not so much to what purpose I speake as what our Euangelist directes mee to speake yet I could not but touch here by the way though I bee bound for another place Let it bee my fault so it bee your benefitte I come now to the amplification of the worlds vnkindnesse and ignorance that it was made by our Lord and yet would not know him Wherein ere we meddle with the matter that is principally intended wee must cleere this doubt for the better vnderstanding of â—he text How the creation of the world can bee applied to argue the sinne of men in not acknowledging Ieus Christ for the Messiah This scruple hath made diuers writers expound this whole verse of the naturall knowledge which is to bee had by the consideration of the Creatures But there is no reason to leaue â—o many good proofes as drawe vs the other way to follow this one likelyhood in so vncertaine a path I might say so straying from the truth which is here propounded to all men For out of question as it hath beene shewed the world cannot iustly bee condemned for not knowing GOD because indeede they did knowe him in the creatures or for ignoraunce of the Messiah by those meanes which were neuer able nor intended to giue knowledge of him Therefore it is agreeable to reason and diuinitie rather to seeke how wee may aunswere this doubt then because of it to forsake a manifest truth in exposition First them wee say Saint Iohn condemnes the world of ignorance and vnkindnesse that they acknowledged not our Sauiour liuing amongst them conuersing with them though hee were indeede the verie maker of them and author of their being But you will aske me how they should discerne any such matter by his carriage and behauiour in the world Therefore I aunswere secondly to that point wherein the whole cause of doubting lyes that the miracles which our Sauiour wrought from time to time in the sight of all the world were euident proofes that hee could bee no other but the great Commaunder of heauen and earth Did hee not ouer rule the course of nature Did hee not giue sight hearing health and life by his bare worde Damsell I say vnto thee arise and straight way the Mat. 9. 41. mayden that was dead arose and walked Hee cried with a loud voyce to Lazarus Come forth Not as if hee could Ioh. 11. 43. make him that had lyen foure dayes in the graue heare without life but that all men present might knowe that hee vsed no other meanes to put life into him but his commandement onely Who could worke such wonders but hee that had power aboue and against the course of nature How could he by any meanes better assure them that it was he that made the world then by taking the same course in changing nature that hee had followed before in creating nature God sayd let Gen. 1. 3. there be light and there was light Young man sayeth Christ I say vnto thee arise and hee that was dead sate vp Luk. 7. 14. 15. and began to speake Might not these courses haue taught and assured the world that hee whom they sawe and heard commanding death it self and doing whatsoeuer it pleased him by his word was the same by whome all things were created Consider then the slouthfull carelesnesse or the wonderfull blindnesse of the worlde that knewe not him that had made them Why should they be so carried away with the vaine pleasures or toylesome businesse of this life as not to bestowe some little time in the consideration of so straunge and admirable a personage Say they might bee this day extraordinarily imployed in their worldly affayres that they could not haue a minutes leasure to bethinke themselues of the wonders wrought by him They sawe the like againe next day day after day for the space of three yeares together and vpwardes It was hard if in so long a time they could not steale one hower or two to aduise with themselues and their friendes of so extraordinarie a matter Well let vs yeeld so much to their manifolde occasions in their ordinary imployments What will they aunswere for themselues coÌ„cerning those miracles which our Sauiour wrought vpon their Sabbaths Will they saye they had no leasure from their businesse on those dayes For very
bee ignorant that hath had any desire to learne vnlesse like a man that lyeth in a ditch and streâ—cheth out his hands calling for helpe to all them that passe by hee refuse to set one finger to the ground for the raysing of himselfe Doo wee then despise so great an happinesse Though wee could bee so vnthankefull to God and yet that were monstrous yet howe canne wee bee so iniurious to our selues What shall I say Or vpon what shall I lay the blame It would bee verie strange and haâ—sh to most men if I should accuse them of not beleeuing Who would not be foreman of the Iurie to finde him guilty who would make daintie to giue sentence against his life that doth not beleeue whatsoeuer is deliuered in the Gospell Not beleeue sayeth one Hee is worse then a Turke or a Iewe that beleeues not I confesse it seemes scarcely credible to my selfe that any man professing religion should not beleeue But I holde it altogether vnpossible that a man should indeede bee perâ—waded in his heart that by beleeuing in Christ hee shall become the sonne of God and yet should bee altogether carelesse of beleeuing It is not vnlikely that wee haue a generall opinion of the â—uth of the Scripture but either wee neuer markt or neuer considered this and such like points that we might be throughly rooted and grounded in the bleefe therof O that I might intreat so much of you all and euery one as that you wold be pleased to bestow a little time â—n the meditation of this prerogatiue I make no question but if once you did stedfastly beleeue it you would neuer giue ouer till you had made your selues sure of so happy and blessed an estate The Prophet Esay considering a little the backewardness of the Iewes in receiuing saluation by the promised Messaih and a great forwardness to other matters reproues them for it in this sort Wherefore doe yee lay out siluer saith hee and not for Isay 55. 2. bread And your labour and are not satisfied May not we insâ—ly take vp the like complaint against the peruersenesse and vnto wardnesse of this age Doe not men beate their braines spend their spirits breake their sleepe wast their time shorten their liues by carking caring for the momentary trash of this world We rise erly we go late to bed we fare hardly we cloth our selues simply we toile moile like horses al for nothing What is all the wealth in the world to the riches in heauen What are all the possessions of the earth to the inheritance of that kingdome What is all the honor that the world can heape vpon a man in comparison of being the Sonne of God If it continue with thee as long as thou continuest aliue yet leaues thee when thou diest whereas that heauenly preferment abides with thee attends vpon thee after death or rather lifts thee vp and carries thee aliue to heauen For what though this sinfull earthly carcasse be destroyed yet the soule mounts immediatly vp to heauen taking possession of that inheritance and inioying it with al freedome comfort in assured expectation of proportionable glory wherewith the body in due time shall be clothed and beautifyed And doe wee still lie groueling vpon earth Wee shewe thereby whose children wee are vpon thy belly shalt thou goe said the Lorde to the olde serpent the Diuell and dust shalt thou eate all the daies of thy life See Gen. 13. 14. if wee doe not as much as may bee resemble him in this curse Wee roote and digge into the earth like Moles and feed vpon the white and yellow clay which with infinite labour and no small daunger we rent out of the very bowells thereof yea a shame to bee spoken though wee are not ashamed to doe it our immortall soule that hath nothing in it of any affinity with earth imploies her vnderstanding bestowes her affections perswades incourages strengthens thrusts forward her seruant body to so wearisome and so fruitlesse a labour Think you that a miserable wretch wheÌ„ he sits in his counting house looking ouer his bonds when his vsury mony will come in let them be as many thousand pouÌ„ds as they are hundred pence can take half that comfort in his trash that a poore Christian doth in his meditation when hee finds himselfe to be the Sonne of God Set thy selfe vp to the chin in the heapes of thy gold tumble and wallow in the midst of all thy pe lfe shouell it vp by bushells into quarter sacks stuff thy chists as full as thou canst till the sides and bottome are ready to fly out reccon vsury vpoÌ„ vsury to the vtmost farthing but heark doost thou not heare a fearfull voice that cries out vnto thee O foole this night they shall fetch away thy soul from thee then whose shal these Luk. 12. 20. treasures be that thou hast prouided What a man of thy state and aboundance in a moment come to nothing quaking and trembling at the very thought of it in the midst of al thy wealth Wouldst thou do so couldst thou do so if thou knew'st thou wert going to a most glorious kingdome in heauen Is it possible any man of indifferent discretion should be loth to change a Chamber in an other manâ— house for a royal palace in his own Realme and gouernment But why should I so much distrust your capacities or suspect your aflections I see you are able to compass great matters and haue strong desires to those things you like if I may but entreate so much of you as to vouchsase a little time to the meditation of this prerogatiue I make no doubt but you will both conceiue and affect it I doe not goe about to depriue you of any naturall faculty but as it were to lead you to the right vse of it I seeke not to roote out your affections but to grift vpon them such seions as may bring forth pleasant and lasting sruit Is thy vnderstanding great Here are greate mysteries in the search whereof thou maist imploy it For what wit what iudgement what conceit is able to sound the depth or valew the worth or comprehend the extent of this honour To bee the Sonne of God Is thy capacity but weake What is plainer what is easier then to vnderstand that by beleeuing in Christ thou shalt bee made the Sonne of God and ioynt heire of heauen with Christ Yea this doctrine wil teachthee how to satisfy thy most insatiable desires Doth ambition prick thee forward with loue of honour Why wilt thou not set thy minde on that which is true honour indeed The foolish vanity of men hath bewrayed itselfe that the conquest of the whole world would not suffice them All the autority and glory that the Emperours of Rome attain'd to could not quench their thirst of honour but that some of them would needes be worshipâ— as Gods If they could once haue attained the dignity of being the
k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Grecians so call the Letters sent from one to another such as those are but also from l 1. Thes 5. 27 S. Paul himselfe who according to common custome calls them by that title So doth m 2. Pet. 3. 1. 16 Saint Peter tearme his owne and the Apostle Pauls writings But of these and the other titles of the Actes and Reuelation an other time if God will This book and the other three of the same kinde are called Gospells n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word in the Original signifieth as much as good tidings or a message of some good applied by the holy Ghost to the doctrine of the Gospell according to the manner of the seauenty two interpreters who translating the olde Testament out of the Hebrew into Greeke exprest o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the preaching of saluation by p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word of the same nature and kinde q Esai 52. 7. How beautifull upon the mountaines are the feete of him r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that declareth publisheth peace c. saith the Prophet where the Greeke hath ſ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euangelize peace as it is alleaged by the t Rom. 10. 15. Apostle and applyed to the preaching of the Gospell And that the doctrine of saluation by Christ is signified by that name it may farder appeare by u Gal. 3. 8. the same Apostle where hee sayth that the Scripture preached the Gospell to Abraham saying In thee shall all nations bee blessed But what neede many proofes in so playne a matter Especially since the first messenger of that ioy after our Sauiours birth the holy Angell deliuers his embassage in the very same tearmes x Luke 2. 10 Beholde y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I bring you glad tydings of great ioy Yea our Sauiour himselfe hath authorized and as it were sanctified the vvord to that purpose by saying * Matth. 26. 13 Verilie I saie unto you wheresoeuer this Gospell shal be preached throughout all the world there shall this also that shee hath done bee spoken of for a memoriall of her If any man demaund yet farder reason for applying this title to the History of our Sauiour Let him hearken what a Marke 1. 1. Saint Marke sayth The beginning of the Gospell of IESVS CHRIST Vpon this warrant from him these foure bookes are lawfully and worthily called the foure Gospels Now it hath seemed good to them that haue translated the new Testament out of the originall greek into other languages to retein the greek word in their seueral translatiōs either wholly without any change as the Syriack doth or else framed after the fashion of their speech So is it in the Latine French Italian Spanish b Printed 1555 the old Flemish yea in the Scotish to only our ancestors the Saxōs haue vsed their liberty to express the meaning of it in their owne tong and haue changed Euangelie into Gospell And yet they haue not made this alteration in the Titles where they keepe the Latine altogether but in those parcells which were shared out for the seruice of some speciall daies in c Math. 4. 23. 26. 14 Marke 1. 1. 14. 9 the text it self where the Greek word is vsed by the Euangelist The word then both in the Originall and in our english giueth vs to vnderstand that the matter of these Histories or bookes called Gospells is a message of ioy and gladnesse yea of suchioy and gladnesse as neither eye hath seene care hath heard nor the heart of man is able worthily to conceiue And shall I need to vse any one word of exhortation for the stirring of vs vp to heare these ioyfull newes of peace and saluation This is that kingdom of Heauen which in the daies of our Sauiour Christs preaching d Mat. 11. 12 suffered violence while multitudes ran together in heaps thronging thrusting to heare such gladsome tydings If the Examples of men bee of small force to moue vs yet let the testimony of Angells waigh some what with vs e Luk. 2. 10. Behold saith the Angell I bring you glad tydings of great ioy that shall be to all the people And that we might the rather be perswaded thereof we haue not only thereport of this one Angell but the practise and example of a whole army of Angells f Ver. 13. 14 Praising God saying Glory be to God in the high heauens peace on earth towards men good will Shall the holy Angells of God whom these things in a manner concerne not so triumph and glory for this happy newes wondering at the infinite mercy of the Lord and reioycing for our glorious felicitie and shal we for whom all this is done remaine senselesse carelesse At the least let this dulnesse and deadnesse work so much with vs as to make vs see how vnworthy we are of so vnspeakeable loue how vnwilling to receiue the gracious meanes of saluation prouided for vs and offred to vs yea thrust vppon vs by the Lord that will not suffer vs to perish Is it possible wee should be so vnthankfull to God so vnkinde to our selues so iniurious to our posterity as to neglect driue away from vs and them the onely meanes of our and their euerlasting saluation Do you thinke those reprobate spirits the Diuells if the Lord had vouchsafed them so great a mercie would so desperatelie haue resused it or so faintlie accepted of it Say not to mee you are contented to bee saued by Iesus Christ when you shew your selues so retchless backeward to learne how you may bee saued by him Giue mee leaue to reason a little with you If an estate in some temporall possession were bestowed on you by waie of Legacie woulde you satisfie your selues or woulde it serue the turne for you to professe that you accepted of the gifte woulde you stay at home and waite till the Executours should drawe you out to goe take possession No no you would seeke from one Court to another make all the friends you could bestowe your paines time and charges to haue liuery and seisin of a fraile and vncertaine in heritance But in this bountifull and large graunt of interest to heauen we haue not so much care as to knowe what clayme or title wee haue to it And yet it is a mystery g 1. Tim. 3. 16 Great is the mystery of godlinesse h 1. Cor. 2. 8 which none of the Princes of this world haue knowen The excellencie and gloriousnesse of it inflames i 1. Pet. 1. 12 the Angells with a desire to look into it and do we set light by such wonderfull knowledge let it suffice vs hitherto in our ignorance we haue beene so carelesse Now at the last let vs put on other mindes and by our continuall diligence as it were make amendes to our selues for so
other beleeuers that a title common to euery Christian should be made proper to som few though principall members of the Church You will obiect it may be that these writers stile themselues Apostles as if they desired to haue their dignity and office knowen to all men True it is that they do so indeed in their Epist But neither did that name belong to al the faithfull or to any but some certaine men and it was necessary for the authorizing of their writings How then Doe I condemne the title or the first Authours or the continuers vsers of it Nothing lesse For I gladly acknowledge both that the Apostles and Euangelists had especiall interest in that name and that there could be no danger of scandall seeing it was not taken by themselues but giuen to them as an honour by the consent as it were and with the liking of all true Christians whose purpose it was not to make them Mediatours of intercession betwixt God and men vpon earth but to shew the reuerend opinion they had conceiv'd and did hold of such worthy and holy men And to say the truth what doth the word signifie but d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy How often is it giuen in the Scriptures to all that are members of the true Church in their seueral Congregations It shall suffice therfore to shut vp all in one word that wee meane not by this title Saint to note any office of mediation but onely to testifie our respect reuerence of those whom it pleased our blessed Sauiour to choose and employ in so excellent and glorious a seruice In this sense I desire to be vnderstood whensoeuer I vse that title and to be excused in your charitable construction if according to that liberty which auncient and later Diuines haue lawfully vsed I sometimes omit it in naming this Euangelist or any other of his fellow Apostles or Euangelists I may not forget to adioyne to that which hath been spoken a fewe things more which the Scripture hath recorded of him namely that hee was e Matth. 4. 21 the sonne of Zebede and brother of Iames called with him to be a Disciple of our Sauiour afterward f Luke 6. 14 specially chosen with the same his brother to be one of the twelue Apostles All these things are so plainely deliuered in the Scripure that it is enough to name the places without any more adoe But of his mother it is needful to speak more particularly because it is not so cleer who she was though it be as certaine we are then to vnderstand that his mothers name was Salome which is thus to be proued g Matth. 27. 56 Saint Mathew reporting the history of the women that stood afar off looking vpon our Sauior when he was crucified writeth thus of them Among whom was Mary Magdalen and Mary the Mother of Iames and Ioses and the Mother of Zebedeus children Now Zebedeus children were Iames the elder as he was called for difference sake and Iohn But how shall we knowe that this womans name was Salome h Marke 15. 40 Saint Marke tells vs so in these words There were also women which beheld afarre off among whom was Mary Magdalen the Mother of Iames the Iesse and of Ioses and Salome Who seeth not that she whom the former Euangelist called the Mother of Zebedeus children the later nameth Salome So that our Euangelist was the son of Zebedeus and Salome vpon him as vpon the rest i Acts 2. 3. the holy Ghost descended like fiery clouen tongues induing them with the admirable gift of vnderstanding and speaking all strange languages Neither was he only thus qualified with the rest but as it should seeme of greater account in the Church then most of the rest Therefore k Gal. 2. 9 the Apostle Paul reckons him with Iames and Peter as one of the Pillars of the Christian Church Yea our Sauiour himselfe in his life time was wont to admit him as it were into his priuate counsell l Marke 5. 37 when he went to raise vp Iairus daughter from death was not Iohn one of the three whome he made choise of to take with him m Matth. 17. 1 was not he one of the 3. witnesses of his glorious transfiguration in the mount To conclude in n Mark 14. 33 that his greeuous agony in the garden our Euangelist was one with whom our Sauiour would bee accompanied And for the person of Iohn this may suffise vnless perhaps some man look that I should adde hereunto as a farder proof of our Sauiours loue to him the mention of those wonderfull reuelations wherin the estate of Christs Church vpon earth to the very end of the world is liuely and certainely discyphered As for other things which are recorded touching him in the Ecclesiasticall histories I will craue leaue to omit them because they little or nothing concerne the matter we haue in hand I know there are but fewe present that are able to search the authors as o Acts 17. 11. the men of Beroea did the Scriptures to see whether those things be so or no. I come now from the person to the writing where first for the occasion time of penning this Gospel I wil onely say thus much p Euseb hist eccles lib. 3. cap. 21 that it is commonly thought to haue beene written after the returne of the Euangelist out of banishmēt from Pathmos both to supply that which was wanting in the other three concerning our Sauiours dooings and sayings before Iohn Baptist was imprisoned and also to satisfie the request of the Christians in Asia especially the Ephesians that it might be a counterpoison against those heresies which Cerinthus and Ebion had hatched and whereby the Godhead of our Lord and Sauiour was called in question Wherein if any man shall persume to thinke that our Euangelist hath not taken such a course as was fit for the refuting and suppressing of those heresies let him learne first that the holy Spirit of whose enditing this Gospell was is not to bee taught by the blind conceits of proude ignorant men Then let him farder vnderstand that it was not the Euangelists purpose nor indeed a matter beseeming the authority of him whom the Lord vsed for his Secretary to dispute by writing with prophane and blasphemous Apostates but to instruct the Church of Christ in the truth formerly deliuered And this he hath performed with such maiestie and authoritie that we may see in him the grace answerable to that name q Marke 3. 17 which his Lord and Master gaue him euen power to thunder For who is not astonied with admiration of those wonderfull mysteries concerning our Sauior Christs eternal diuinitie which this sonne of thunder as it were ratleth out Therefore did r August Prolog in Ioa. Theodor prodromus in distich the antient writers cōpare him to an Eagle as one that mounted vp aboue the pitch of
p Orig. in Ioan. lib. 1. Athanas contr Arian quod verbum e◠Deo sit that second interpretation which by the beginning vnderstandeth God who is no where so called in Scripture Both these expositions for the matter of them are true but not warrantable by this place There are two other explications of this word which agree for the sense of the place that our Sauiour eternall being is here signified though they differ much in the meaning of the word it selfe The former will haue the beginning to bee taken for Eternitie the later referres it to the first creation of all thinges Against the former some take exception because they say the Word Beginning is neuer found in that sense in the Scripture But that may well bee doubted of because it is sayd of our Sauiour that q Iohn 6. 64. Hee knew from the beginning who they were that beleeued not and who should betray him Now this he knew from all eternitie For r Hb. 13 nothing is hidde from him who is God euerlasting but all thinges are alwayes open in his sight Therefore the word may sometimes bee taken for eternitie But that will not serue the turne vnlesse wee can shew some place wherein it must necessarily bee so vnderstood Such as that of Iohn is not nay rather wee are directed by the Euangelist himselfe in another place to conceiue that by the beginning the calling of the Apostles is signified ſ Iohn 16. 4 These things sayd I not vnto you from the beginning that is I neuer tolde you of this matter from the first day of my being conuersant with you That place t Colos 1. 18 to the Colossians Hee is the beginning and the first begotten of the dead may also reasonably and more fitly bee referred to our Sauiour as mediator then as God euerlasting So can not that in the Reuelation where it is certaine by the first and last part of the verse that the Lords euerlasting being is described u Reuel 1. 8. I am A and Ω the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come Heere though beginning do not of it self note eternity yet with the ending it doth There is yet a plainer and certainer Text to put the matter out of doubt where x 2. Thess 2. 13 the Apostle saith that God hath from the beginning chosen the Thessalonians to saluation What is from the beginning but as the same Apostle speaketh in the like manner in y Ephes 1. 4 another place Before the foundation of the world It cannot therefore bee doubted but that by The beginning Eternitie is sometimes signified yet it is not plaine or certaine that it must so bee conceiued in this place But wee may reasonably perswade our selues that if our Euangelist had meant to haue the beginning taken for Eternitie hee would haue said as the holy Ghost dooth in the Scripture * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From the beginning For indeed it is no fit speech to say of any thing which wee woulde note to be eternall that it is in Eternitie but that it hath beene or was from Eternitie Neither if wee vnderstand Eternitie by the beginning will this speech of Iohn suite so well witl that of Moses a Gen. 1. 1 In the beginning God created heauen and earth To which it is out of question our Euangelist alludes and in which Eternitie cannot by any meanes be signified What else then can be meant by the beginning bu◠the first creation of all things For what can any man more easily and readily vnderstand when hee reades or heares In the beginning then the beginning of time at the creation of the world Which also the rather to direct vs to this interpretation the Euangelist presently addes b Ioh. 1. 3 By him were all things made so shall Moses and Iohn agree and our Sauiour most fitly be kept out of that lumpe in the creation within which the blasphemy of heretickes would include him yea more then that hee shall easily be conceiued to haue beene from all eternity if he bee excepted from the generall creation wherin all things that are not eternall had their first beginning Whereas then our Euangelist sayth In the beginning The sense of the Euangelist was the word it is all one as if hee should thus haue spoken VVhen all things that haue not an euerlasting being of their owne nature began first to be by the almighty power of God the Creator who made them of nothing euen then hee that is the eternall VVord of the Father hee that from time to time hath declared the will of the Father he that was appointed and promised by the Father to be the Messiah bad already an euerlasting being not by the will of a superior power as a thing created but by the necessity of his owne diuine nature through the eternall generation of God his Father This is that which by our Euangelist is implyed in those fewe words This is that which it concernes all the faithfull to beleeue without doubting This is that which blasphemous c Ebiō Cerinthus denied This Epiphan Au◠Theodoret. vbi supra is that wherby their wicked heresie is condēned Thou tellest vs wretched hereticke as thou art that IESVS CHRIST had no Being till he was conceiued in the wombe of his mother the blessed Virgine The holy Ghost sayth He was in the beginning Thou wilt haue him younger then Mary the holy Ghost makes him elder then Adam In a word thou wouldst perswade vs that hee had his first beginning almost 4000. yeares after the world was created the H. Ghost enioyns vs to beleeue that he had neuer had any beginning For euen then already he was in perfect being when all things that had any beginning became something of nothing of not being began to be Shall I neede to note the doctrine of this text Who sees not that it teacheth vs the eternity of our Sauiour Christ Shall wee suite it with other places of Scripture The word of the holy Ghost in any one place is all-sufficient But let vs yeelde somewhat to humane weakenesse that by the mouth of two or three witnesses all excuse of infidelitie may be vtterly cut off Hearken then what he saith in d Reuelat. 1. 8 the Reuelation I am A Ω the beginning and the ending sayth the Lord which is and which was and which is to come Doth it trouble thee that is was is to come note a kind of succession in being If in our weakenesse wee could otherwise haue conceiued of euerlastingnesse the holy Spirit of God would haue spoken otherwise But who then should haue vnderstood him Surely not euery poore soule whome hee purposed to teach by the Scripture But if mysteries delight thee listen to our Sauiour in e Ioh. 8. 58. this Gospell Before Abraham was I am what is this I am before hee was I vnderstand
I was before hee was or before him And I am before him but I am before hee was passeth my vnderstanding Yet by this our Sauiour would teach vs that in respect of his nature he is alwayes one and the same not like vs first Infants then Children afterwardes youthes in the strength of our age and life men in the decay of it old men and at last no men Thy yeeres ô my God f Psal 102. 24 saith the Prophet are from generation to generation Thou hast afore time laide the foundation of the Earth and the Heauens are the workes of thy hands They shall perish but thou shalt indure euen they all shall waxe olde as dooth a garment as a Vesture shalt thou change them and they shall bee changed But thou art the same and thy yeeres shall not fayle That this is spoken of our Sauiour Christ g Heb. 1. 10 the Apostle sheweth by proouing his God-head from that place To speake truely and properly we can not say of God either that Hee was or that hee is to come but onely that He is Therfore when Moses would needes knowe his name God answered h Exod. 3. 14 So rather then by the future I AM that I AM. Also hee sayd Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israell I AM hath sent mee to you It is hee onely that is as well because hee is of himselfe without dependance vpon anie other as also for that hee is absolutely without any change in himselfe whatsoeuer As for vs wee so are that in a manner wee are not because we neuer continue any time in the same estate without some alteration If we could as plainly see and as certainely iudge of the inward parts of a man as wee can of his outward countenance we should soone perceiue that hee is continually waxing or waning so that hardly can we thinke of any man that He is but while wee are thinking hee is not in the ende of our thought as short a moment as it is altogether the same that he was in the beginning thereof But our most glorious Sauiour IESVS CHRIST being eternall without beginning without middle without end is alwaies most perfectâ—y the same was is and is to come are in him without all kind of difference though to our weake capacitie it hath pleased him to vouchsafe so to speake of himselfe for our better instruction Come now thou that desirest to be for euer ioyne thy selfe to him of whose daies there shall neuer be end They that by faith become one with the Lord Iesus shall be sure to bee one with him in continuance look not back what thou hast not been heretofore but look forward what thou shalt be hereafter Father i Ioh. 17. 24 saith the sameour Sauiour I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am But where was he when he spake this In his humane nature vpon earth And there the Disciples at that time were as well as he But by his God-head he was euen then also in heauen where hee will haue all to be with him who beleeue in him k Ioh. 3. 16 that they may not perish but haue life euerlasting This testimony of the Euangelist concerning our Sauiours eternity was sufficient to stop the mouthes of those first Heretickes and to settle the faithfull in the true beliefe therof But Satan not discouraged by this fayle l Anno. 290 som 200. years after stirred vp the turbulent pestilent spirit of Arius a man of Alexandria in Egypt to call the Godhead of our Sauiour again in question It is Father The Word that became flesh shewed himselfe by his glory to be the Sonne of God Is it not the VVord of whom it followeth The onely begotten Sonne Verse 18. which is in the bosome of the Father hath manifested God Verse 3. vnto vs By the VVord all things were made By the Sonne u Heb. 1. 1. 3 sayth the Apostle He made the world And againe x Col. 1. 16 By him were al things created which are in heauen which are in earth What neede more words Our Euangelist sheweth through the whole Gospel that he speaketh of no other word then the Sonne of God These things are written y Ioh. 20. 31 sayth hee that ye might beleeue that IESVS is the CHRIST the Sonne of God Leaue we therfore these shifting blasphemies let vs labour to settle our harts in the assured belief of our Sauiour Christs diuine eternity To which purpose it shal be sufficient for vs to remeÌ„ber that which we heard ere while out of the * Psal 102. 27 Psalme Thou art the same and thy yeares shall not faile that testimony of Christ himself a Reuelat. 1. 8 I am A Ω the beginning and the ending saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come euen the Almighty What can the sottish heatheÌ„ the stubborn Iews or the brutish Turks now say Come ye that deride and persecute the true religion of the Lord Iesus you great wisards that despise all men as barbarous in comparison of your selues Are not you they that worship stocks and stones instead of the true God Are not the Parents of your greatest and auntientest gods easily to be knowen named I am ashamed to speak it but your folly wil not suffer it self to be hidden b Tertullian in Apolog. cap. 25 Were not the sepulchers graues of your soueraign god Iupiter the rest to be seene for many years by all men when you sottishly honoured them for gods in heauen whose carcases lay rotting amongst you in the earth But our God is eternall without beginning without middle without ending He became man in time he was God before all time he died was buried But he ouercame death rose again ascended in his body visibly vp to heauen Look not my brethren that I should discourse at large of these matters I haue bin too long already and I shall haue fitter opportunitie hereafter if God wil. Let the Iewes with all their malice the Romans with all their power deuise what vntruths practise whatsoeuer cruelty they are able our God sitteth in heauen and laugheth them to scorne causing his religion to continue in despight of both and thereby assuring vs of his owne eternall being for euer and euer As for the Mahometan though hee be incredibly shamelesse in lyes blasphemies yet hee is driuen to confesse that often in his sensless Alcoran that Iesus our God was holy vertuous wonderful in miracles a great Prophet of the Lord. Would the wretch Mahomet haue yielded so much to our Sauiour if euidence of truth coÌ„tinued so powerfully had not wruÌ„g it out of him But how could he be holy or not most prophane if hee made himselfe the Sonne of God and were not we should be as voide of sense as his absurde Alcoran if wee should
word and the word was with God and God was the word The like figure also hath Moses t Gene. 1. 1. In the beginning God created heauen and earth and the earth was without forme But our Euangelist affordes vs more examples of it u Iohn 1. 4. 5 In it was life and that life was the light of men And the light shineth in darkenesse and the darkenesse comprehended it not Can any man doubt that the holy Ghost intended to keepe the elegancy of the figure Are not the Sermons of our Sauiour himselfe beautified with flowers of Eloquence Doth not the prophecie of Esaie flowe with streames of Rhetoricke I dare boldly say It is a very hard matter to match the beginning of that booke for varietie and force of Eloquence out of the writings of any of the heathen Orators Greeke or Latine quantitie for quantitie That we may iustly blame the ignorance and boldnesse of them who thinke it a dishonour to the Gospell that the preaching thereof should be graced with humane Eloquence I would know of these men what it is they call humane Eloquence and what Eloquence there is in the Scripture which may not beare that name without any disgrace thereunto Are there not the same tropes and figures both of the word and the sentence in the writings of men yea of heathen men which are in the Scripture Or if the Scripture haue any which men haue not yet obserued may they not learne from thence asto liue holily so to speake eloquently If any man imagine that the holy Ghost hath either appropriated any ornament of speech to himselfe in the Scripture or that he deuised new tropes and figures for his owne Secretaries the holy Prophets and Apostles the writings of the heathen wherein all those elegancies are to bee found will giue euidence against his ignorance I deny not that there is a certaine maiestie shining in the Scripture which no man can worthily expresse by imitation or by meditation conceiue sufficiently But this ariseth partly from the matter it selfe and partly from the skill of vsing those Rhetoricall ornaments wherein as in all things the holy Ghost that taught them is perfect whereas men haue but a shadow as it were of his perfection But I may not spend too much time in this matter onely thus much I will adde that he which in his publike ministrie shall either willingly refraine or carelessely neglect to vse the helpe of humaine learning and namely of Rhetoricke whereof onely wee haue now occasion to speake shall both faile in his duetie to God and come short of that worthy effect of preaching whereby the loue of God to vs is most gloriously set foorth and our loue to God most ardently set on fire It is the spirit of God that begets faith and obedience But not without those meanes by which hee hath enabled his seruants to teach and perswade The principall thing is the matter as it were the dart or arrowe that pierceth the heart of man by the power of the Spirit But speech is as it were the arme and Eloquence the thong or string whereby it is sent with force to the marke it aymes at He that trusts in Eloquence makes flesh his arme Hee that despiseth Eloquence takes strength from his arme It is our duetie to vse the meanes It is Gods blessing that the meanes take effect and of this vpon this occasion enough Now in expounding the words ere I come to the meaning of the place I will first touch a cauill of x August de doctrin Christia lib. 3. cap. 2. the Arians whereby they endeauoured to voyde the euidence that is brought in heere for our Sauiour Christs Godhead What could be spoken more plaine then for the Euangelist to say The VVord was God Yet would they shift off the matter by mangling the sentence in this sort God VVas say the Arians what shall then become of the Word That say they belongs to the next verse which must thus bee read The same word was in the beginning with God I told you before that the order of the words in the text is God was the VVord In our language word may not bee put before this or this same In Greeke it may and so in Latine How then shall wee answere the Arians Plainely and truely that there was no reason why the Euangelist should tell vs that God was For neither did any man doubt of it and hee had said sufficient to that purpose in the former clause when he affirmed that The Word was with God with whom the Word could not be conceiued to be but that the being of God must of necessitie bee presupposed Besides the holy Ghost in the Scripture neuer speakes of God to shewe his being by Was but either by Is the present tense or time as we call it y Exod. 3. 14 I am sent me or by all three times * Reuel 1. 8. Is VVas Shall be which was which is and which is to come yea the very clauses of the verse might haue taught them that the VVord must needes belong to this verse In the beginning was the VVord and the VVord was with God and the VVord was God Cut off the VVord from this last clause and you make it altogether vnlike the former and spoile the grace of the speech Let the Arians goe then with their foolish shift and goe wee forward in our exposition Wherein we are first to learne what the Euangelist meanes by God then to shew how the sentence it selfe is to be vnderstood In the former clause one person of the Trinitie euen the first God the Father was signified by the name of God which is common to all the three Here the same word is taken in the proper sense nothing the Diuine Nature There needs no other proofe of this matter but onely to make you see that if you vnderstādit of any one persō you auouch somwhat which is vntrue For example will you say God the Father is the Word or the Word was the Father By this maner of speech you confound so destroy the persons whose very being necessarily requireth that the one bee not the other Neither may we say that the holy Ghost was the Word or the Word the holy Ghost For the same errors ensue thereupon and the Trinitie of persons is ouerthrowen thereby It cannot be then but that God in this last part of the verse must of necessity be taken for the Godhead or Diuine nature whereupon it followes necessarily that our Sauiour Christ is God Against this the Sabellians who acknowledge no distinction of persons except and labour to perswade vs that the Euangelist is rather thus to bee expounded God was the Word that is say they That God the Father with whom the word was was nothing else but the word it selfe How false foolish this exposition is if any man see not by himselfe he may thus easily discerne To what purpose could it be for
the godhead that there is but one God Secondly of the Trinity of the persons Where the first poynt must be to proue that there are three persons the second to shew how they are distinguisht one from an other And because there is in our Church seruice a treatise to this purpose knowne in part to all that are present commonly called the Creed of Athanasius who like a valiant champion maintein'd the godhead of Christ against the Assaults of Arius I will referre you from point to point to that discourse That there is but one God the same one God witnesseth himselfe in scripture o Exod. 20. 2. 3. I am the Lord thy God thou shalt haue none other Gods but me Which is not ambitiously spoken as if some one God would haue the honor froÌ„ all the rest but enioyned with authority by him who onely had right to claime such preheminence Els neither had he done done iustly that gaue this charge and how should he be conceiu'd to be God that is knowne to be vniust and the Iewes to whom he gaue it should haue hurt themselues as much by displeasing all the other Gods whom they refused to acknowledge as help themselues by pleasing that one whome they did acknowledge Vnlesle perhaps wee may ridiculously think that for quietnes sake the other Gods were content to put vp this iniury or that they were all agreed to part stakes as the heathen absurdly feyne of their three Gods Whereof Iupiter the eldest took heauen for his share Neptune the second got the gouernment of the Sea and Pluto the yongest rather then he would sit out quite was content to play small game as we say and to take Hell for his part rather then nothing These are liker fancies of men in a dreame then discourses of learned writers And yet neither could these three brothers well agree at all times and to say the truth Iupiter whom the other two aknowledged for their Soueraign was the onely God in the Iudgement of the heathen But whatsoeuer they imagined wee are sure our God doth so speake of himselfe p Deut. 32. 39. Behold now for I am he and there is no Gods with me That appeares by the effects I kill saith he giue life I wound and I make whole Are not these the works of god In whose haÌ„ds are death life but in Gods But hath this God only that power Are there not other that haue it aswell as he No sure as himselfe addeth There is none that can deliuer out of my hands Thus he speaketh of himselfe thus the prophet Moses q Exod. 33. 11. that talked with him face to face speaketh of him Vnto thee it was shew'd r Deut. 435. saith Moses to I srael that thou mightst knowe that the Lord hee is God and that there is none other but hee alone And afterward Vnderstand v. 39. therfore this day and consider in thy heart that the Lord he is God in heauen aboue and vpon the earth beneath there is none other I might recken vp many like testimonies But whom will not these content if enough will content him Will any foolish blasphemer now except against these proofes as if they were to be vnderstood of the general nature of God not of any one who onely is God how fond and absurd must such an exception needs bee seeing all men know by reason that generalls haue not any reall being diuers from the specials or species nor can be said to perform any particular action For example to make the matter as plaine as I can Man as it signifieth that nature which is common or generall to euery seuerall man is not any thing subsisting by itselfe but hath it whole being in the particulars of that kind Therefore also it cannot be said that the generall nature of man doth reason or speake but that this or that man doth so But God saith I kill giue life neither can the general nature which is leudly absurdly conceiv'd say truely of itselfe Behold I am hee and there are no gods with me neither were such a speech to any purpose or of any vse as if it were to bee thought that any man could imagin that there are more then one general nature of any one kinde There is then but one God only For if there were more God could not say there are no more euen as Adam after Caine and Abel were borne could not affirme That he alone was man and that there was none beside him The same trueth is confirmed in the new Testament by the Å¿ 1. Cor. 8 4. Apostle Paule We know saith he that an Idol is nothing in the world and that there is none other God but one As if he should haue said Howsoeuer there are diuers idols of this and that shape men idols and women Idols yet we know there are no such diuine powers in the world as these according to the fancy of men represent yea we are are sure there is but one God The heathen indeed haue many whom they call God and Lord but to vs that vnderstand the truth there is but one Ver. 6. God So doth the Scripture euerie where speake of God as of one t Rom. 1. 21. 23. When they knew God they glorified him not as God The glorie of the incorruptible God What shal I need to heape vp many testimonies in a case that is not doubtfull All the wise and learned both Christians Iewes Heathen agree with one consent that there cannot be any more then one God All this notwithstanding wee finde that in the Scripâ—ure there are more then one that are sayde to bee God First there is one called the Father whom al men acknowledge to be God u Rom. 1. 7. Grace be with you and peace from God our Father x 1 Cor. 8. 6. To vs there is but one God which is the Father y Eph. 1. 3. Blessed bee God euen the Father of our Lord Iesu Christ Secondly as I shewed before Iesus Christ or the Word is also vouched to bee God In the former verse The word was God * Rom. 9. 5. Christ is God ouer all belssed for euer Thirdly it is manifest in the same Scripture that the holy Ghost in like sort is God For although there be noâ— one place wherein hee is so tearmed by name yet the comparing of one text with another puts the matter out of question The Lord saith to the people of Israell that if a Num. 12 6. there be a Prophet amongst them he the Lord wil appear to him in a vision he will talke with him in a dreame It was the Lord therefore that spake in and by the Prophets This Lord saith b 1. Pet. 1. 11. Saint Peter was the spirit The spirit testified before of Christ c 2. Pet. 1. 21. Prophecie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they
were moued by the holy Ghost So God is said to bee hee d Act. 2. 24. 25. 1. 16 that spake by the mouth of Dauid and the same God it tearmed the holy Ghost in an other place It is welknown that euerie where in the olde Testament the Iewes are accused resisting God That e Act. 7. 51. Stephen expoundeth of the holy Ghost O yee of vncircumcised harts and eares ye haue alwaies resisted the holy ghost as your fathers so you If then there bee but one God and â—et three distinct one from another be euerie one of them God how can it be denied that there are three persons f Mat. 28. 19. the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost To this the beginning as it were of our Profession leades vs when wee are baptised in or into the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost Now for the better conceiuing of this great mysterie touching the three persons it is necessarie for vs to vnderstand what a person is And then wee shall the more easily perceiue that euerie one of the three is a person And here if I should stand curiously to deliuer an exact definition of the thing and tell you that a Person is an indiuiduall â—ubsistence in an intellectuall nature or a seuerall or singular thing that subsisteth by it selfe in a nature indued with vnderstanding I should either leaue you more vncertaine then I found you or bestowe more time in expounding the wordes then shall neede I hope to make you discerne of the matter it selfe Wherefore to speake plainely rather then artificially it may please you first to bee perswaded that although the word person bee not in the Scripture applyed to the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost yet euerie one of them is so described therein that wee may and must needes conceiue him to bee a person according as wee vnderstand the word First who knowes not that there is no person but where there is a nature that hath reason and vnderstanding For no man euer calles any creature that is not indued with reason by the name of a person Who will or may say of tenne or twentie Lions Horses Oxen Apes or any creatures of the like kinde that there are tenne or twentie persons For example if wee haue a denne or a stall that will receiue tenne Lions or tenne Oxen no man will say such a denne or stall will holde tenne persons But if there bee a Table whereat tenne men may sit it is an vsuall speech to say it will holde tenne persons So that first to the being of a Person it is necessary that the thing which wee call a Person bee by nature indued with reason otherwise it cannot by any meanes be a person Secondly wee are farther to vnderstand that the word person notes vnto vs some one of that kinde and not many considered together For it were absurd to say of those tenne men before mentioned though necessarily they haue euerie one of them the vse of reason that they are a Person Thereâ—ore by Person wee meane any one of such a kinde Euery man euery woman euery childe is a person because euery one of them hath vnderstanding by nature and is seuerall or distinct by himselfe from al other so that no other man woman or child in the world in heauen or in earth is or can be the same person Some man perhaps will imagin that those qualities or vertues which are no where to bee found but where first there is reason as iustice wisedome temperance fortitude and such like may bee tearmed Persons especially since euerie one of these is seuerall from other But that cannot bee because whatsoeuer is a Person must depend on nothing as a part or property therof but must be intire of it selfe None of these qualities are such but all of them haue their being in some one person or other Salomons wisedom and Samsons strengtâ— haue no being but in Salomon and Samson with them they are if they cease to bee they are not The case is farre otherwise with Salomon and Samson themselues Let the wisedome of the one and the fortitude of the other be turned into folly and Cowardise yet shal each of them be still a person as before he was yea if there were no more Men Women nor Children in the world but they two or either of them yet should they both if both continued or the one of them if the one continued bee two persons or one person So then to the being of a Person it is required for the generall that the thing bee of such a kinde as hath natuâ—ally reason or vnderstanding more parrticularly that it be one singular thing of that kind and that it be such a thing as hath a subsistence by it self and depend not vpon any other as a part or property thereof whersoeuer we find such a thing we haue a Person yea so many Persons as wee haue such things Now let vs apply this to the blessed Trinity And first concerning the nature of God it neither is nor can be doubted but that he is the very fountain spring of all vnderstanding FroÌ„ which the smal streams continually do flowe which wee see in the shallowe channelles of the creatures g Psal 94. 9. Hee that planted the eare shall hee not heare Hee that formed the eye shall hee not see h Rom. 16. 27. To God only wise be prayse through Iesus Christ foreuer Amen Secondly it is apparaÌ„t in the Scripture that the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are distinct each from the two other so that there is i Athanal Creed ver 24. But one Father one Sonne one holy Ghost and neither the Father is the Sonne or the holy Ghost nor the Sonne the Father or the holy Ghost nor the holy Ghost the Father or the Sonne Which proueth manifestly that euerie one of these three hath his subsistence by himselfe and so is a person Looke not that I should repeate that which before I deliuered take that one place for all Baptise them in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost These three names Father Sonne and holy Ghost doe not signifie three vertues or qualities of one person but three distinct persons Therfore are they also alleag'd by the Apostle as three witnesses k I. Iohn 5. 7. There are three that beare record in heauen the Father the Word and the holy Ghost But this mater belongs rather to the second part of this discourse wherin I am to shew how they are distinguisht one from an other But ere I come to that point and yet I will hasten to it all I can I must needes forewarne you that none of vs for ought that hath beene or shall bee sayde conceiue of God as of the creatures There is one generall nature common to all men whereby they are men and so men as that euerie seueral person is a
action But what needes any farther proofe x Gen. 1. 26. 27. then Moses himselfe affords vs in this verse Thus God created the man in his image in the image of God created he him he created them male and female Do you marke the same word thrice vsed concerning the making of man And yet who knowes not that y Gen. 2. 7. The Lord God made the man of the dust of the ground Would Moses haue called that making of man by the name of Creating if to Create were to make of nothing Surely man was not created being made of the dust if there be no creating where there is matter of which he is to bee made So it is also affirmed by Moses * Gen. 21. that God created the great whales what of nothing Nothing lesse It is well knowne and recorded euen there by Moses that the water brought them forth I wil say more There is no one place in the history of the creation where the worde Creating maye be taken I doe not say must bee but may bee taken for making of nothing except perhaps the first verse In the beginuing God created heauen and earth only here may the word be so vnderstood because by heauen earth the first matter of all things may be conceiued which only was created of nothing all things else of it As for the greeke both the vse of it in al kind of writers speaketh for me who can imagin that they who did not beleeue that euer there was any creation shoulde deuise a needlesse word to signifie such a thing as they neuer dreamt of and if at any time they speake of such a question they expresse themselues by adding some worde to make as to make of nothing or without any pre-existent matter or such like What then Doe wee deny the thing because wee say there is no word that necessarily signifieth To make of nothing God forbid We haue taught and can easily proue if neede be that all things besides God haue had a beginning of their being Then were they ether made of nothing which indeed is most true or of God him-himselfe as the matter of them But the later is meerely vnpossible For neither is God of any bodily matter as we see those thinges to be a Iob. 4. 24. God is a spirit and whatsoeuer is of his substance is the same God with him infinit in power and being whereas all creatures are finit in both Therefore when we meditate on the glorious worke of creation wee must drawe our thoughts from the cogitation of these things which we see feel heare smell and tast and conceiue aswell as we can that there is nothing but God How then came all these to be the world and the creatures therein God made them Of what Of that first matter which was without forme couered all ouer with darknesse But whereof was that first matter made Of nothing That is when as yet there was nothing at all but the in comprehensible maiestie of God in his eternall being it pleased him to wil that all these things should be and by this will of his according to this will all and every one of these Creaturs took their being First as God had from all eternity purposed and willed that first matter or lump had its being simply of nothing as all reason shewes vs. For how is it possible to coÌ„ceiue or imagin that that which is the first matter should haue any other matter before it of which it might be made Therefore b Arist Physâ—â— lib. 1. the Philoso phers being ignorant of the creation were inforced to make this first matter eternal and this was the conceipt I. ucret de natura rerum lib. 1. of them all that did not acknowledge God to bee the maker of that matter So then if you aske me what that was which was made of nothing I say the first matter of all things and in which all creatures were contained If any man be afraid least this opinion should deminish the glory of God in creating the particulars hee must be put in mind that both the matter it selfe was made by God of nothing that all the creatures were made of it by no lesse infinit power then the lumpe it selfe was made If Adam in his first estate if all the Angells of God had beene created before this lumpe and that being made by the Almighty power of God had beene brought vnto them c Gen. 2. 19. as the creatures were to Adam it had not bin possible for them I will not say to haue made these other inferior creatures but so much as to haue deuised the forme and workmanship which noâ— they see and wonder at in the meanest creatures But of this point in the second part when I come to shew that the Creation of all things is a certaine proofe of our Sauiours Godhead It remaines that wee expounde the last words All things What need they any exposition may some man say For who is so dull that he vnderstands not what is meant by them what can be meant but absolutely All things without exception Surely it is certaine that the Euangelists meaning is so and a man may well maruell that there should be any question made of it yet such hath bin the malice of Satan and the miserable shifting of Hereticks that I thinke no one text in this whole Gospell hath bin more strangely or diuersly interpreted I will touch some of the errors point at other and stand long vpon none We presse the generalitie of the words All things which comprizeth whatsoeuer hath any being Would you think it possible that these words â—eing so large should bee stretcht too farre Yet haue they bin most absurdly For by them Macedonius who denied the Godhead of the holy Ghost laboured to establish his blasphemous heresy If all things saith hee then the holy Ghost too vnles he be nothing Why dost thou not multiply thy absurdities and say asmuch of the Father and the Sonne himselfe too For if it seeme absurde to thee as it is to containe the Sonne vnder these generall tearmes because hee is the creator or maker how canst thou imagin such a blasphemy of the holye Ghost who is also a Creator with him being one the same God At the least thou canst not exempt the Father of whom there is no more mention in this clause then of the holy spirit But d Ambroâ—â—â— spâ— S. cap 2. â—y ril lib. 1. m I â—â— cap. 5. Chryâ—â—â—â— in Ioa. â—om 4 Groâ—or◠〈◊〉 oraâ— Thcoâ— 5. the Euangelist that I may not spend too much time in these fancies hath answered for himselfe where he restraineth this to the things that were made VVithout him was made nothing that was made Whatsoeuer was made was made by him but the holy Ghost being God as hath bin shewed hath an eternall being and was neuer made though he proceed from the father and the Sonne As Macedonius
stretcht those words farder then they would reach so on the contrary side other Hereticks drew them into a narrower roume then they could endure For whereas by by all things we must vnderstand whatsoeuer had any beginning of being whether it be visible as the heauens the Earth the Sea men beasts fowles fishes or inuisible as the Angells and spirites some Hereticks denied that the one of these kinds was created by the Word some that the other The Valentinians were content to grant that hee made all things that are bodily and subiect to sense yea perhaps the soules of men too the Angells but yet for sooth they dreamt of I knowe not what e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud Iren. lib. 1. cap. 1. 2. 3. other conceits which were not created by him The Manichees allowed God the creation of all inuisible spirits but they thought the world and the creatures in it too base a peece of worke for so glorious a worke-master not perceiuing ignorant wretches as they were that the making of the least creature requires infinite wisdome power But what should I enter into any refutation of these Heretickes All I meane to doe in such cases is to cleare the Text from such errors as they loade it withall Therfore it shall be sufficient against the one and the other that the Euangelist not only speakes so generally All things but also adds to take away all manner of cauills that nothing or not one thing was made without him Neither will it serue the Valentinians turne to say that their fancies were not made because whatsoeuer is not God had certainely a beginning of being from and by the Sonne and therefore those multitudes of their Aeones as they call them must needes bee made For being so many and so diuerse in nature it is not possible they hould be God as themselues also grant And for the first clause By him were all things made this may suffice I come to the second And without him was nothing made that was made Here because there is some variety in ioyning or sâ—uering the words which makes a difference in the meaning of the Euangelist it behoues vs first to seeke out the true pointing of the sentence and then wee may readily proceed to enquire after the sense thereof Some mingle part of this verse and part of the next together reading it thus Without him was made nothing that was made in him taking the two last words In him from the verse that followeth But this hath so little shew of reason in it that to rehearse it is to refute it For how idle a speech is it to say that nothing was made without him that was made in him that is by him As if any reasonable man could imagin that somthing was made by him which was made without him If any man wil interpret In him as the words properly signify it is yet more absurd For neither are al things f Tertull. contra Herâ—â—g cap. 2c in the Word taking In Properly and it is a manifest contradiction to say that a thing is made in this or that and yet made without it that is not within it g August an Ioa. tract 1. Other thrust the later part of this verse to the fourth and make it part thereof in this sort That which was made in him was life And so our Rhemists traÌ„slate the place following the vulgar Latin But there is more curiosity in this reading then truth For who can beleeue that the Euangelist would trouble them that should reade or heare this Gospel with such a subtility as few men are able to vnderstand that all things which which were made before their making were life in God because they were God himself as they theÌ„ were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore life because his knowledge by which they were is his essence and so life These conceipts may perhaps be admitted in the shooles to exercise schollers witts withal but they can haue no place in the Scripture which is appointed for the instruction of the weakest capacities Besides in al likely hood if the EuaÌ„gelist had purposed to giue vs notice of that matter he would not haue said as he doth That which was made c. but rather Those or All things that were made were life in him I deny not that this translation hath some authoritie from antiquity But surely not so much as is commonly thought the very euidence of truth hath made some later Papists also reiect it The truest plainest course is to reade it as we commonly doe following the generall consent of almost al the auncient greeke writers sure the learnedst and soundest VVithout him was made nothing that was made Let no maÌ„ trouble himselfe with deuising what the reason should be why the holy Ghost adds this clause seeing hee had spoken sufficient in the former I will if it please God satisfy this doubt when I haue expounded the words and come to deliuer the meaning of the Euangelist in them Now the words are plaine enough in themselues but that the curiosity of some men and the crafty malice of Satan hath made them doubtfull yet the doubtes are neither many nor hard First by without h Origen in Ioa. lib. 3. some men will needes vnderstand that which before I noted as if the Euangelists meaning were that the word contained al things in him as the preseruer oâ— them by his infinit power and being The doctrine is true but nothing to the purpose It is easie for euery man to discerne that without him signifies no more buâ— that which was said in the former part of the sentence By him the one affirming the other denying If the Euangelist had said within him were al things theÌ„ there had bin god reason to expound without as these men doe But since he puts By him in the first part surely in the later without must haue such a sense as best agrees with that Tel me how you would vnderstand my words if I should speake thus Dauids battailes were all fought by Ioab and without him there was none fought So speaketh S. Iohn and so he is to be vnderstood But in the word without only the curiosity of men was to be blamed in the exposition of the other worde Nothing wilful ignorance and malitious peruerting of the holy Ghosts meaning bewary themselues If I should aske any reasonable man how he thinkes those wordes without him was nothing made are to bee vnderstood would he not answere me readily and plainely that the Euangelist meant to tell vs that There was not any thing made but by him Surely thus would a reasonable man answere if hee would answere like a reasonable man But i Manich. apud August de naturâ— boni cap. 25. the men of whome I speake will haue Nothing to be something And whereas S. Iohn would teach vs that whatsoeuer was made was made by him they would make him say
that there was a thing yea many hundred or thousand things that were not made by him Nothing was made without him That is say the Manichees hee was not the maker of Nothing but that was made without him Could a man deuise to speake more contrary to the holy Ghost if the would set himselfe to it neuer so earnestly But what is this nothing No lesse then the heaueÌ„ the earth the sea and whatsoeuer is contained in al these except spirits They might better call these All things then Nothing Sure it is a farre easier matter to perswade men to be Sadduces and thinke there are no spirits at al then to make them beleeue that all these bodily things are nothing They are nothing say they because they are naught and made by the deuill Away with these horrible blasphemies and absurdities Is the world euill by creation and not rather wholly by corruption Or is there any thing in the worlde so euill that it hath not some good profitable vse Is it possible any thing should haue a being but from Iehouah the author of all being But I knowe not how I am almost slipt into a refutation of that which deserues rather to be reiected with detestation then refuted by reason especially seeing the ground of this their building is so sleight and sandy What colour is there for this interpretation of theyrs If wee take the words in the plaine sense they afford vs they containe neither impietie nor absurdity What then Doth the circumstance of the place require anye such exposition Nay rather ot confutes it as I haue shewed Neither doe they brag of any speciall reuelation for the vnderstanding of it What should then be their reason for it Imagin what you will or can their conceit passeth all absurdity Forsooth the Euangelist hath set nothing in the last place after was made O incredible shall I say ignorance or wilfull blindnesse As if for the sense it were not all one to say without him was made nothing and without him nothing was made In English the later kind of speech is more agreeable to the nature of the toong in greeke it is not so but the sense euen in the English is all one though the words be not so well placed But let vs leaue these absurdities vpon which wee haue dwelt too long a great deale longer then I purposed and betake our selues to the matter Yet perhaps it will not be amisse to adde a worde or two first for the remouing of a doubt that may arise in some mans minde who cannot satisfy himselfe concerning it And surely I am the bolder to spende the more time and labour in expounding the text and making al things as plaine as I can because I knowe that one of Satans meanes to discredit the doctrine and make the exhortation out of any palce of Scripture lesse effectuall is to cast some doubtes into mens heartes about the true sense of the text expounded If hee can shew any likely hood of some other interpretation then was giuen he makes accompt he hath aduantage enough to perswade vs not to regard what was taught vs what we were exhorted to For if the foundation bee weake how should the building be but ruinous So likewise if he cannot reasonably obiect against the expounding of the place yet if hee can raise some doubts which were not satisfied he will imploy men therein and so drawe them away from the meditation and practise of that which was deliuered The doubt vpon this place is in the later part of this clause why the Euangelist should add these words without him was made was it not sufficient to haue said All things were made by him yes surely it was very sufficient both for the truth of the thing and also for the vnderstanding of it What vse is there then of this repetition It helpes the memory and as it were stirs vs vp to greater atttention But the true reason of it as I conceiue is that the Euangelist followeth the Hebrew phrase very commonly in which it is ordinary to double that by a negation or deniall of the contrary which before was affirmed So k I say 39. 4. 2. King 20. 15. speaketh Hezekiah to the Prophet I sai All that is in my house they haue seene there is nothing among my treasures that I haue not shewed them So l Ier. 42. 4. Ieremie to â—ohanan and the people What soeuer thing the Lorde shall aunswere you I will declare it to you I will keepe nothing backe from you Of this kinde there are many speeches of our Sauiour recorded in the Gospell that it may appeare it was ordinarie with him so to set out that hee spake by affirming or denying the contrary m Ioh. 8. 29. Hee that sent me is with me the Father hath not left me alone n Ioh. 3. 17. God sent not his Sonne into the world that he should condemne the world but that the world through him might be saued This later Clause indeede hath somewhat more in it then the former but it was implyed in it So in the verse going before ver 16. should not perish but haue euerlasting life o Ioh. 10. 18. Ver. 28. No man taketh it from me but I lay it downe of my selfe I giue them eternall life and they shall neuer perish This custome of speech vsed also by his Lord and Master did our Euangelist followe that wee might the rather beleeue and remember that he writ Thus by the examining of the words wee are come at the last to vnderstand the Euangelists meaning which is this that all things whatsoeuer which had any beginning of being as all things had except God onely had that beginning and being of theirs from the word or Sonne of God There is nothing so glorious in heauen aboue nothing so meane on earth belowe nothing so hidden vnknowne in the depth of the Sea but had his whole being from our Sauiour Christ From him they all receiv'd their substance and nature from him they had their qualities and properties by him all things liue that haue life by him all things moue that haue motion by him all things are that haue any being But let vs consider these matters more attentiuely First in generall then particularly And because I haue once or twice already made mention of a place in the Prouerbes where this Sonne of God is brought in by Salomon calling himselfe by the name of wisedome and shewing his admirable wisedom by the workes of the Creation I will begin with his owne report as it is there described VVhen hee that is God the Father prepared the heauens I was there p Pro. 8. 27. sayth this diuine wisedome when he set the compasse vpon the deepe when hee established the Cloudes aboue when he confirmed the Fountaines of the deep Ver 28. When he gaue his decree to the Sea that the waters should not Ver. 29. passe his
reason with you a little If a Clocke or Watch a curious peece of worke had vnderstanding to consider its owne nature and to knowe the workeman that forg'd and fram'd it to whose keeping thinke you would it committe it selfe rather then to his that knew â—est how to preserue it because hee deuis'd and made it Is not euery man desirous to haue that gardiner if it may be to looke to his herbs flowers knots arbors and his whole ground the excellencie of whose skill he sees continually before his eyes in the beautie and growth of the things hee hath fashioned and planted And shall not wee rest and relye vpon him that created vs If the skill and strength of some workeman bee inferior to oâ—her of the same trade yet his loue and affection to his owne worke the care of his reputation will make him â—ble aboue his power If that Clocke or Watch I spake of could finde it selfe decayed in any part the teeth of the wheeles or pinions to bee ouerworne the axel to bee growne too thin or any thing to be displaced would it not seeke and call for helpe of the maker I might say â—he like of the garden Who is fitter to amend whatsoeuer is out of order then bee that first set it in that order To whome then should wee seeke for ayde but to him that hauing created vs is therfore able and willing to restore vs to our former if it please him to a better estate Wee see how agreeable it is to reason that he which made man after his owne image and likenes should refresh it being decayed and restore it being lost Wee see also that the same reason teacheth vs that as many as desire to bee made partakers of that for which they were made must depend vpon him by whom they were made Therefore may wee truely say vnto the Lorde b Psal 72. 25. VVhom haue wee in heauen but thee wee haue desired none in the earth with thee But if the hope of so necessarie assured succour bee not sufficient to drawe vs to him that offers himselfe to repaire his owne workemanshippe yet let the consideration of our duetie waigh so much with vs as to make vs yeelde obedience to our Lord and Maker There is nothing more common in the Mouthes of men and children then that God made all other thinges for the seruice of man and man for his owne seruice Yea to whom doth it not seeme vnreasonable that the creature should denie obedience to the Creator Doo you not heare the Lord complayning of this by the c Isay 1. 2. 3. Prophet Isay as of a monstrous and vnnaturall impietie Heare O heauens and hearken O earth for the Lord hath sayde I haue nourished and brought vp Children but they haue rebelled against mee The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his maisters Crib but Israell hath not knowne my people hath not vnderstood Are wee more brutish then the Oxe more dull then the Asse They relye on them by whome they haue their meate Do wee refuse to rest on him by whome wee haue our whole being If they should be giuen ouer by one maister they would soone bee found by another If the Lord our Creator leaue vs to our selues there is no second that can sustaine vs but wee shall immediately fall to nothing Bee not afrayde then least thou should'st bee sham'd when the foolish world shall condemne thee for beleeuing in Iesus Christ Aske them boldly if the creature may not or ought not to put his trust in the Creator Let them tell thee whether they doe not thinke it iust and reasonable for the workmaister to haue all command ouer the worke Thou find'st they selfe to bee wholly out of frame and order to whome should'st thou goe to bee amended but to him that form'd thee Thou art not able to attaine to the ende for which thou weâ—t created who can better or who will gladlier direct thee then hee that appointed that ende for thee Hee lookes thou shouldst seeke vnto him hee calls thee to come vnto him Hee commaundeâ— thee to trust vnto him As hee hath made thee a man on earth by creation so hee will make thee a Saint in heauen by regeneration What doost thou vexing and troubling thy selfe poore soule with the continuall sight of thy present deformitie I was indeed sayst thou beautifull and glorious but I am deformed and loathsome I had once the liuely image of him that created me true holinesse and righteousnesse but I haue now the ougly pourtrature of him that deceiued mee euen sinne and wickednesse If onely the colour were decayed it might happely be refresht But when the very form is perished there is nothing left to bee repayred O miserable and wretched that I am Not onely to ose that happinesse which can neuer bee recouered out also to fall into that miserie which can neuer be renedied Which way shall I turne my selfe or to whom hall I flee for succour It is high time to minister some comfort when the party is so well prepared to receiue it especially since it may so easily be had Doost thou aske â—o whom thou shalt flee for succour To whome else but to him that offers it As for the feare of I know not what impossibilitie to recouer so great a losse remember by whom all things were made and thou shalt see how much thou art deceiv'd Thou hast lost the perfit beautie thou hadst bestowed on thee in thy creation But hee that gaue it hath not lost his power to bestowe new on thee Is the colour faded Hee can lay on a fresher and set an amiable glosse thereon Iâ— the woole forme be perisht that there remaines no one liâ—e or place of a line to bee discerâ—ed yet hath not hee that created it forgotten what it was Is it harder for him to make thee righteous then it was to make thee Can not hee that created the soule it self enrich it with qualities beseeming such a substance Hee that made the light to shine out of darkenes can make the sowrest crabstocke beare most sweete fruite Hee that created thee when thou wert not can create true righteousnes in thee when thou art most vnholy But let vs consider this worke of the creation more particularly and first that our Sauiour Iesus Christ was the Creator of those inuisible Creatures which we call Angels Looke you for proofe of this point By him were all things made Or if that content you not reade that which followes And without him was nothing made that was made Then if the Angels were not made by him either they haue no being at all or at the least had no beginning of their being The last is vnpossible For they are seruants to the Lord who only is eternall and d Psal 103. 20. Doe his commaÌ„demeÌ„t in obeying the voice of his word And indeed thence haue they their name For what is an Angell but a messenger imployed in the
diuine nature that created them or no. First the Euangelists authority is enough to put the matter out of question For hee that being directed by the spirit of God could not erre would neuer haue brought this for a proofe thereof if it coulde iustly be excepted against Yet because as I haue shewed there might bee other reasons of this speech and some doubt therefore whether it were the Euangelists purpose to proue that or no let vs take some other course for our full satisfaction To which end let vs alwaies remember that Moses x Gen. 1. 1. in the beginning of the Scripture laies this as a maine foundation of religion that God created heauen and earth Who can doubt then â—ut it is a sound reason to proue our Sauiour to be God that All things were made by him For if it be truâ— that God was the maker of all things whomsoeuer wee finde to haue made all things him we knowe thereby to be God Therefore the Apostle Paul preaching to the heathen and perswading them to forsake their Idolles and to turne to the liuing God shewes who he is by this effect of creation VVe preach vnto you saith the y Act. 14. 15. Apostle that vee should turne from these vaine Idols vnto the liuing God which made heauen and earth and the sea and all things that in them are Worship him * Reuel 14. 7. saith an Angel from heauen that made heauen and earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters By this doth a 1. Chro. 16. 26 Dauid distinguish the true God froÌ„ Idols All the Gods of the people are Idols but the Lord made the heauens Is not this the proofe of the power of God whereby he magnifieth himselfe and amazeth b Io. 38. 4. 5. c. Iob with the brightnesse of the glory thereof By this doth Ezechiah coÌ„clude that he is the true God Thou art very God alone ouer all the kingdomes of the earth thou hast made the heauens and the earth Will you heare the c Isay 3. 16. 48. 12. 13. Lord himselfe I am I am the first and I am the last Surely my hand hath laâ—d the foundation of the earth my right hand hath spanned the heauens when I call them they stand vp together Let d Heb. 1. 10. the Apostle Paul end this controuersy who to proue our Sauiours Godhead brings the place of the e Pâ—a 102. 25. Psalme Thou Lord in the beginning hast established the earth and the heauens are the workes of thy handes From hence then we may certainly and necessarily conclude that the Word the promised Messiah our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ is true God For by him were all things made and nothing can be made but by God onely This f August in Ioâ— tract 1. the Arians denied because they sawe themselues driuen to confesse that all things were made by Christ whom they will not ackâ—owledge to bee God equall to the Father Therefore they deuis'd this shift that our Sauiour did indeed creat all things yet not as a principall worker but as an instrument And to this they say the Euangelist directed vs when hee sayd that All things were made g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by him For that by which a thing is done is an instrument in the doing of that thing and not the doer of it If these men had not blinded their owne eyes with a preiâ—dicat conceite against Godhead of our Sauiour they might easily haue seene the fondnesse and falsenesse of this blasphemous exception The folly of it I shew'd before when I made it manifest that it is all one to say All things were made by him and Hee made all things The falsenesse of it may appeare thus The scripture sayeth the same of God which is here affirm'd of Christ that this or that was by him and yet I hope they will not dare therefore to conclude that God in those matters was not a principall efficient cause but an instrumentall For example h Rom. 11. 36. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle sayth That all things are by God What As an instrument who is then the principall essicient that imployes God as his instrument i 1. Cor. 1. 1. 2. Cor. 1. 1. Eph. 1. 1. Col. 1. 1. The same Apostle affirmeth of himselfe that hee was called to bee an Apostle of Iesus Christ by the will of God If the will of God bee but an instrument wee are content to require no more honour for our Sauiour so you allowe him to bee one with God in nature as the Will of God is which indeede is God himselfe What say you k Gal. 1. 1. to that place where the Apostle pleades for the authoritie of his Apostleshippe because it is by Iesus Christ and God the Father I doubt mee wee shall hardly finde any principall efficient at all where both the Father and the Sonne are instruments How absurdly then not onely impiously doe the Arians conclude from this word by that our Sauiour Christ is not God But you brethren haue beene better instructed then to giue eare to such blasphemies that I holde it altogether needlesse to bring any father proofe of the matter then I deliuered in my last exercise or to vse any word of exhortation to beleefe in him whom wee cleerly discerne to be God al-sufficient To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost the same God the most mightie and gracious Creator of all thinges let vs alwayes remember to ascribe all glorie power and dominion and to performe all obedience for euer Amen THE FOVRTH SERmon vpon the first Chapter of IOHN Verse 4. In him was life and that life was the light of men 5 And the light shineth in darkenesse and the darkenesse comprehended it not IT is a cleere truth in natural reason and a rul'd case in diuinitie that as all thinges proceede from God as the first cause of their being so they are all referr'd to God as the last ende why they are In him l Acts. 17. 28. sayeth the Apostle wee liue and moue and haue our being And to conuince the Heathen by the light of nature hee addes As also certaine of your owne Poets haue sayd m Aratus in Phaenomen For wee are all his generation To whom then doe wee owe our selues and whatsoeuer wee are or haue but to him onely Witnesse for nature the wisest of all the Philosophers the Stoikes for diuinitie he n 1 King 4. 29. â—0 that was wiser then the wisest of the Heathen o Pro. 1. 12 16. 4. Salomon the preacher King ouer Isreal in Ierusalem The Lord hath made all things for his owne sake yet so for his owne sake that p Psaâ— 8. 34. the Prophet is forced to cry out When I behold the heauens the workes of thy fingers the Moone and the Starres which thou hast crealed what is man say I that thou art mindefull of
can doubt but life was always in him who only liues of himself giues life both tēporal spiritual to al euē to euery one that hath it But because this maner of giuing life is an effect of Godhead so common to him with the Father and the holy Ghost and not a matter belonging properly to his person nor any worke of his mediatorship I will leaue it as not intended in this place and come to a second consideration of life being in him from all eternity as in the mediator betwixt God and man In what respect then may it be truly and fitly said that life was in him from all eternity In respect of the eternall decree of God whereby he determined to restore to life those whome hee chose therevnto by the mediation of his Sonne the word of whom we speake Of this f Rom. 8. 29. 30 the Apostle speaks Those whom he knewe before he did also predestinate to bee made like to the image of his Sonne that he might bee the first borne among many children Vpon this predestination as the Apostle adds followeth calling iustifying and at the last glorifying which is the highest degree of the life that is in Christ But in g Eph. 1. 3. 4. an other place hee speakes more plainely Blessed be God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in heauenly things in Christ As he hath chosen vs in him be-before the foundation of the world Therefore doth the Apostle Peter ascribe the appointing of the meanes and the execution of it according to the appointment to the foreknowledge of God h Act. 2. 23. Him haue ye taken by the hands of the wicked being deliuered by the determinate counsaile and fore knowledge of God The same is acknowledged by the ioynt confession of the Apostles where they say that Herod Pontius Pilat the Gentiles and the people of Israell gathered them selues together against the holy Sonne of 4. 27. 28. God Iesus whom God had annointed to doe what soeuer the hande and counsaile of the Lorde had determined afore to bee donne VVorthily then doth Saint Iohn avouch that life was in him yea before any time was life was in him i Gal. 4. 4. VVhen the fulnesse of time was come God sent his Sonne Life did not then begin to be in him but to shew it selfe to be in him k Rom 3 25. God set him forth by his incarnation to be apropitiation Life was in him before in regard of Gods eternall counsaile but not discouered nor manifested to the world no nor those works of his which were to bring life performed Yet euen thē was life in him If it seeme to any man somewhat ouermuch to go so far for the Euangelists meaning let him shorten his iorney containe him selfe within the compasse of the world created Shal we not find sufficient reason of this speech In him was life though wee goe not out of the world yes out of doubt very sufficient For seeing many worthy Patriarchs and holy Prophets many true Israelits Sonns of Abraham by faith as well as by nature departed out of this worlde before our Sauiour came into it to performe the foreappointed worke of redemption either these must haue died without life so alwaies continue dead or there was life in him before he was incarnat l Luk. 10. 24. Many Prophets and Kings desired to see and heare him at the Apostles while hee liued heere saw and heard Surely then they were not ignorant of him and that life was in him But did they not see him By one iudge of the rest Your Father Abraham m Ioh. 8. 56. saith Christ reioyced to see my day and hee saw it and was glad And yet what name I one seeing wee haue a cloud of witnesses that compasseth vs round about n Heb. 11. 1. 2. 3. c. sounding out the same assurance of fayth that we now haue and looking for the same promises to bee fulfilled which wee beleeue and knowe to haue beene performed to the vttermost Was not our God o Mat 22. 32. the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob Was not our Sauiour their Sauiour p Rom. 4. 11. Gal. 3. 16. Dooth not our interest wee haue in Christ depend vpon our being the children of Abraham q Heb. 13. 8. VVas not Iesus Christ yester-day is hee not to day shall hee not bee the same for euer Then may wee safely and truely conclude that there was life in him before he was in the nature of man But howsoeuer it be true certaine that life was in him both from all eternity in regard of the counsaile of God which is as ancient as himselfe in effect in respect of them that from time to time were partakers of it euen from Adam to Iohn Baptist yet it was then most properly in him when hauing taken our nature vpon him he ouercame death and him that had power ouer it the Deuill This was that which those Kings Prophets desired and longed to see This was that which good olde Simeon so reioyced at that he was ready to depart out of this life with full satisfaction and contentednesse when he had seene the promised Messiah in the nature of man Lord r Luk. 2. 29. 39 saith he now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word For mine eies haue seen thy saluation The holy man had a long time beleeu'd by faith that saluation was to come and in hope with patience waited for the comming of it but he neuer saw it til that time Indeed how should he For it was neuer to be seene till then How could it be For it neuer was fully perfitly till then It was not enough for the Son of God that he had infinite power as God to giue life to whom he would to repair the ruins of his image in man by clensing him frō sin cloathing him with righteousnes by raising him frō death as he first breath ed the soule of life into him by vouchsafing him a place in heauen which was at his command that had made it Al this I say would not serue the turne that the Euangelist might say as he doth In him was life For the Lorde God Father Son Holy ghost had appointed another course of giuing life another meanes of saluatiō not to be perform'd by the Son of God sitting in heauē but to be wrought here vpō earth in the same nature that had sind was dead He that made mā holy righteous at his creatiō could by the same powr haue restord to him his original righteousnes in a momēt But it pleas'd him to doe it after an other maner wherof more hereafter in due place To say al at once seing by man cam death God would haue life to come by mā no otherwise Let it be graunted may some man say that
language may suite with their strange and new Religion English eares mislike the manner of their speech as Christian hearts doe the points of their doctrine Wee commonly translate the words for a witnes fitly in regard of the sense and easily for all mens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In testimonium vnderstanding This same came for a witnes that is This man who I said was sent from God came to bee a witness The Euangelists manner of speech is not fully deliuered who according to the custome of the tongue hee writ in saith worde for word he came to testimonie namely to giue testimonie which the Latin also followes though that language doe scarce beare it so well as the Greeke doth To draw into English such kinde of phrases is not to inrich the tongue but to corrupt it Wee haue no way to expresse the Euangelists speech and meaning in English but to say To giue or beare testimonie or witness This was then the office of Iohn Baptist To be a witness Now the vse of witnesses is for the confirmation of some truth or for manifestation of it For where there is no doubt nor question howsoeuer perhaps in forme of Lawe there may bee witnesses required yet indeede there needes none Where there is neede of them there the matter is not plaine in it selfe or at the least not acknowledged to bee true So that the point for which Iohns testimonie is to bee had hath of its owne nature or by the ignorance or peruerseness of men somthing not cleere or not confest What if it haue Could not God haue made it manifest by some testimonie from himselfe without such an extraordinarie course ossending a witnes as it were downe from heauen Yes out of doubt He that made the vnderstanding of man can make man vnderstand what pleaseth him He that framed the heart can perswade and incline it to what himselfe list But all such courses of reuelation from God were as extraordinarie as such a kind of birth and message and both the one and the other little enough in this case as the euent shewed For although the Lord testified of his sonne by his owne voice from heauen and by Iohn vpon earth yet was he scarcely acknowledged by any man As for the work of Gods mighty power in the soules of them that come to beleefe in Christ it was not wanting to any of these Iewes who aduisedly religiously gaue credit to the testimonie of Iohn the Baptist or set themselues to consider of it as they ought to haue done which if they had done it was not possible but they should haue seene both the loue of God in sending them such worthy meanes of instruction and the truth of that which Iohn deliuered by commission from him Doost thou wonder at the blindnes and frowardnes of the Iewes whome the testimony of a man in their owne iudgement not to bee excepted against could not moue to beleeue View thy self in this glasse and consider whether more witnesses acknowledged by thee to be sent from God to speake according to the truth of God be not of as small credit with thee in many points wherein thy obedience is required But of this more anone when wee haue a little better examined of what kinde this testimony of Iohn was That he might beare witnesse of the light The words haue beene all expounded already in the matter there are these two thinges to bee considered what manner of testimony it was that Iohn gaue what it was that he testified A testimony as all men knowe is ordinarily giuen by word of mouth wherein some matter in question is either affirmed or denied and they that giue these testimonies are called witnesses Amongst Christians there is another kinde of witnesses tearmed Martyrs by the Greeke name which is common to all that testifie any thing especially in matters of Law and iudgement The same word is heere vsed to signifie the witnesse that Iohn bare Those whome wee call Martyrs are such as by their death beare witnesse to some truth of God reuealed in his word suffering themselues to bee tormented and murthered rather then they will denie or not confesse a knowne truth of God when they are lawfully demanded of it Such was Stephen and so is hee called by Paul When the bloud of thy Act 22. 20 Martyr Stephen was shed The same title is giuen Reuel 2. 13. to Antipas whome our Sauiour calles his Martyr when Antipas my faithfull Martyr was staine among you For this cause Christ himselfe is named a Martyr from Iesus Christ which is a faithfull Martyr or witnesse and the first begotten of the dead As for Iohn who knowes not that hee was put to death by Herod for dooing his dutie in witnessing a trueth of GOD Yet hee is not thought to bee any of the Martyrs that giue witnesse by their death because it is commonly helde that the dying for no trueth makes a Martyr vnlesse the trueth concerne somewhat belonging to the profession of the Gospell so that neither Isay nor any of the Prophets are properly to be tearmed Martyrs I will not striue about the point especially since I doe but touch this by the way onely for Iohn I thinke hee is not properly to bee reckoned in the number of the Martyrs not so much because the matter for which hee reprooued Herod did not appertaine in any particular sort to the Gospell as for that he was not executed professedly for that he had sayde and did constantly mainetaine but for satisfying of the Kings promise and Horodias malice but whether that bearing witnesse could make him a Martyr or no questionlesse it was not that which our Euangelist here speakes of for it was not any testimonie of the Light How then did Iohn beare witnesse By preaching of Christ and auowing that hee was the Messiah ordayned and sent for the saluation of them that would beleeue in him This may some man say was common to him with the Prophets at the least with many of them and with all the Apostles that succeeded him who also therefore are called in the scripture by the name of witnesses Let vs make that wee say apparant to all men First for them all in generall Zachary the Father of Iohn Baptist speaking of our Sauiour and redemption by him sayeth that God spake of him and his comming to that purpose By the mouth of his holy Prophets Luk. 1. 70. which were since the world beganne And the Apostle telles vs that God had promised the sending of his Sonne afore by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures Rom. 1. 2. In particular I will make choyse of two onely Isay and Daniell Of which the former is ordinarily called the Euangelicall Prophet as if he had written the Gospell in his Prophecie And that not without cause For hee hath spoken very plainely of the birth life and death of our Sauiour Concerning his birth hee noteth that which was most
To beleeue that God is or that there is a God Credere Deo To giue credit to that which God saith Credere in Deum To beleeue in God And of all these significations wee haue variety of examples in the Scripture Giue me leaue I pray you for our better vnderstanding memory to draw them to 2 principall heades according to the diuers seat or place they haue in the soule of man To beleeue then is to holde something for truth or to trust to something The former is an action of the vnderstanding the later of the will In the one truth only is respected the other hath an eie to some good or benefit Beleeuing as it hath place in the vnderstanding signifies either an holding of some point as a truth by the originall light of nature in vs or an assenting to som such thing reuealed by some outward meanes taken vpoÌ„ the credit of the teacher Of the 1. kind is the persuasion that all men naturally haue that there is one God that hee is the Creator of heauen and earth that he is almighty wise iust good c. These things men are truly and properly said to beleeue because they are not taught them but bred in them they receiue them not of other but haue them of themselues they come not to the acknowledging of them by any discourse of reason but see them by a light that shines within theÌ„ But this sense of the word I confesse is hardly to bee found in the booke of God which refers vs for the naturall knowledge of God to the consideration of his workmanship in the creatures â—om 1. 20. The inuisible things of God saith the Apostle that is his eternall power Godhead are seene by the Creation of the world Yea so manifestly seen that as the same Apostle testifieth other where we may in a maner feele the Lorde by groping seeing in him we liue moue and haue our being Act. 17. 27 28. Iamblich de mysteriâ—s cap. 1 Yea the Philosophers themselues acknowledge that there is in man a certaine notion or persuasion of God which goeth before all discourse of reason we ordinarily say of the most barbarous and ignorant heathen who haue small vse of reason that they all belieue there is a God yea euen those people which neuer thought on the making of the world yet haue an opinion that there is a God to be worshipt and the grand Atheist Epicurus that would by no means confess that the world Veleius apud Cicero de â—at deor lib. 1. Lucret de nat rerum lib. 1. had any Creator of it doubted not to professe that hee beleeu'd there was a God because Nature hath ingraffed that perswasion in euery mans hart But it is all one to the point I haue in hand whether there bee any such opinion in vs or no as long as it is granted that we may and do attaine to this beleefe without any resting vpon other mens report credit it sufficeth to proue the first kind of beleeuing seated in the vnderstanding The 2. is an assenting to that which is affirmed meerely vpon the credit of him that speakes it For if hee bee able to make proofe of that he saith by any reason and doe so and thereby perswade vs of the truth of that he hath avouched he doth beget knowledge in vs rather then beleefe which is alwaies grounded vpon the authority and reputation of him for whose words-sake wee beleeue This vse of the worde is very common in the old and newe Testament where for the most part the other signification of trusting to is implyed VVill you see this in some sewe examples Abraham Gen. 15. 6 belieued God that is Abraham was perswaded that God would bee as good as his worde accordingly he trusted to him or belieued in him for the performance thereof That thus much is to bee conceiued by that beleefe of Abrahams is is euident by the Apostles disputation of it Who hauing alleag'd that testimony of Moses to proue iustification by faith or beleeuing in Christ in the applying of it expoundes beleeuing God by beleeuing in him To him that worketh Rom. 45. not but beleeueth in him that iustisieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnes where he deliuers that in generall which before he had said in particular Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse Verse 3. There is the particular touching Abraham To which the generall concerning all other men to beiustified must needs agree if the Apostles reason be of any force Abraham beleeued God To him that beleeueth in him that iustifies the vngodly that is God It his belieuing was counted to him for righteousnes His faith his beleeuing is counted for righteousnes Do you not see that to beleeue God in this example includs belieuing in God that is trusting to God or resting vpon God for that which Isai 28. 16. God is to performe Therefore the Prophet I say directly protesteth that he which beleeueth shall not make haste So that no man is accounted to beleeue God but hee that relyeth vpon him for the fulfilling of that which hee hath spoken or at the least that beleeuing of God only is accepted of him which procures a trusting in him for that which we beleeue he hath truly affirmed The new Testament is plentiful in such examples I will giue you a tast of them and leaue the rest to your farder meditation and to some other occasion that shall offer it selfe Rom. 10. 10. â—ereafter in this Gospel With the heart saith S. Paul man beleeueth to righteousnesse VVhat beleeuing is this the Apostle himselfe teacheth vs in the next verse where he proues that he had said by the testimony of the Prophet whosoeuer beleeueth in him shall not be ashamed Verse 11. Ioh. 8. 30. Vers 31. The same is conâ—â—m'd by our Euangelist As he spâ—ke these things many beleeued in him Then said Iesus to thâ— Iewes which beleeued him Can any man doubt but the holy Verse 31. Ghost in the later verse meanes the same beleefe hee had mentioned in the former But what should I seeke any farder then this Chapter That which heere is called beleeuing afterward is exprest by beleeuing in Here he saith That al men through him might beleeue What saith Ioh. 1. 7. Verse 12. he in the 12 verse To them that beleeue in his name It may seeme perhaps that I haue stood ouer-long vpon this point but the necessity of the matter I doubt not wil excuseme in any reasonable mans iudgement especially if he consider that I haue almost dispatcht the whole question in that former discourse hauing shewd though but by the way diuerse examples of Beleeuing in or trusting to that I may be the shorter in that which remaines to be handled concerning beleefe as it is an action of the will resting or relying vpon somewhat for some benefit to bee receiued
to their opinion who vnderstand this place of Gaudentius in Euang. tract 12 our Lords being in the world all the time he liued here â—pon earth in the nature and shape of man The reasons whereby some men would prooue the contrarie are of no great force They say Saint Iohn would cleere our Sauiour from being thought to haue beene in fault that men did not beleeue and from being supposed to bee a creature But both these doubts were satisfied before more sufficiently and the later ariseth onely from that which is heere affirmed Hee was in the world as if the Euangelist had made himselfe more worke then needed It was sayde before that the light shineth in darkenesseâ— that it lighteth or inlightneth euerie man Yea the fault of not beleeuing was layde where it is The darkenesse comprehended it not How then could the light bee suspected Or how should hee bee taken to bee a creature but in regard of his manhood which is no error nor inconuenience Hee was auoucht before to be God and to haue made all things none excepted Now then seeing wee haue found that This being in the world is to bee vnderstood of our Sauiours conuersing with men here in the flesh it is no hard matter to know what is meant by the world from thence to gather the meaning of the Euangelist What is the world what else but the earth Therefore when the Euangelist saith He was in the world his meaning is that the Messiah of whom he hath spoken so much was conuersant here vpon earth amongst men This he deliuereth here in this general descriptioÌ„ before he come to the history it self which setteth out the course of his life and carriage at large It is needlesse to say any thing in proofe of this matter I shall haue necessarie occasion to handle it at the foureteenth verse the whole Gospel is of nothing else Yet I may not forget to note in a word how gratiously it pleased the Son of God to deale with the world He liued amongst men he kept company with men he came as himselfe speaketh eating and drinking He was Luk. 7. 34. familiar with men hee applyed himselfe to their customes and fashions in all thinges lawfull and as a worthy Scholler of so excellent a Maister sayth of himselfe Hee became all things to all men that hee might by 1. Cor. 9 19 all meanes saue some Iohn Baptist as it was fitte for him led an austere life withdrawing himselfe from the company of men abstayning from the lawfull vse of that varietie both in diet and apparayle which the Lord of his rich bountie hath afforded to men They that would in any thing vse his ministerie either for instruction or baptisme were fayne to come to him and attend vpon him Our Sauiour was ready ordinarily at euery mans call Who euer came with petition to him and went away vnsatisfied Sometimes hee deferred Ioh. 4. 49. the matter and would make as if hee hearde not yea sometimes hee seemed to aunswere somewhat roughly as to the woman of Canaan but it was Mat. 15. 21. not to deny their requests but to encrease their faith He meant not by such delayes to continue their paine or trouble but to double his mercy both vppon their bodies and vpon their soules Where hee sawe neede of helpe and want of meanes to begge it by reason of ignoraunce or some other infirmitie hee most kindly offred himselfe and his seruice Wilt thou be made whole sayth he to the man that had lyen 38 yeares Ioh. 5. 6. bed-red To conclude such was the conuersation of our Sauiour vpon earth that nothing wanted to shewe who hee was nothing hindred men commonly from comming to him but that which in all reason should haue allured them so great maiestie with so great meekenesse such power to helpe with such readinesse to bee imployed O the blindnesse of men sayth one O the pride and frowardnesse sayth another They worthily perished that made themselues vnworthie of such vndeserued kindnesse What would they haue had more then was offered them yea they could neuer haue desired so much as was afforded them And could they bee so vnkinde shall I say or vnwise and wilfull as to make light account of stay your sentence a little we are not come to that point Take heede least by reprouing of other you condemne yourselues What want you except the bodily presence of Christ that they had No one man sauing those Disciples that continually followed him heard so many of his Sermons sawe so many of his miracles knew so much of his kindnesse as wee all doe or may doe That which they might heare in a long time by peecemeale wee may read in a few howers altogether before occasions of manifold busines distract the mind and confound the memory Wee see not the blind restored to sight the lame made to goe the dead raysed to life What could wee haue seene There was seldome aâ—y outwarde meanes vsed to these purposes by which â—he eyes of men might bee fed If they heard him speak to signifie that he would haue such or such a thing done and sawe the effect ensue accordingly it was all the aduantage they had of vs that now liue and euery day may heare and read the historie of these thinges recorded If hee were then amongst men in his person hee is now amongst them in his word I wil say nothing of the difference betwixt these two meanes of bringing men to beleefe Let the euent speake It is manifest by the historie of the acts that more were conuerted to the faith in one yeare after our Sauiours death by the ministery of the word in the mouthes of the Apostles then in all the three yeares and vpwarde of his preaching and working miracles The vse of this later was but to credit the persons that their doctrine might bee receiued Wee professe that wee are resolued of the trueth of all things deliuered in the Scriptures Then certainely our Lord is amongst vs in these dayes though not in the same maÌ„ner yet in as great measure for means of knowledge and beleeuing What intertainement had hee then by them hath he now by vs The former wee must learne of the Euangelist of the later wee shall heare more anone Concer-cerning the people that liued in our Sauiour Christs time and heard and sawe what he spake and did what would any reasonable man looke for but that they should acknowledge him and honour him as the Messiah by trusting in him So they should haue done And did they so Read the record The world knewe him not Is it possible there should bee such blindnesse where there was so good light Could the light bee vnseene that shone so brightly It is woorth the doing to consider this point a little better And first let vs examine the wordes what is meant by the world what by not knowing The world in the first part of this verse
shame they dare not Were they not priuie to â—hem They were done in their open Synagogues oftentimes But I knowe not how I am slipt ere I was aware into that which particularly concernes the Iewes with whom I must deale in the next verse to which I now come Hee came to his owne and his owne receiued him not Kindnesse offered requited with vnkindnesse Both so great that the holy Ghost hauing spoken of them in generall in the very last verse repeates them heere in particular and that with speciall amplification Hee had sayde before Hee was in the world Therefore hee might haue beene knowne of men He addes now Hee came to his owne Therefore hee should haue beene intertained But the world knewe him not He was a straunger to them who lookt not for any such guest His owne could not plead such ignorance They had heard of him they longed for him For all this They receiued him not Is it credible Is it possible It is too true Hee had very meane or rather very bad intertainement at their hands Wee may not passe ouer the matter so sleightly Let vs see the particulars First his comming to his owne then his reiecting by his owne For the cleerer interpretation of the text wee must examine what is meant by His owne because the vnderstanding of that concernes both partes of the verse That being knowne in the former parte wee must consider his comming in the later his reiecting Hee came to his owne Our Rhemists who account 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their differing from vs a high poynt of their popish obedience would not translate as wee doe To his owne but must needes haue a farther tricke Into his owne By which translation first they must of necessitie vnderstand the place to which he came or else they speake but ill fauoured English For no man that knowes what belonges to our Language will say Into if hee spake of persons but to them vnlesse hee meane to signifie such a comming as is spirituall into the hearts of men or into the midst of a multitude neither of which in this place canne bee intended by the Euangelist Secondly though the place bee signified yet may our translation very well bee allowed I appeale in this case as to all men that canne speake English so to these Rhemists who translate so in other places From that hower say they the Disciple tooke her to his owne Ioh. 19. 27. Heere is the same word for into and more reason because the speech is of Saint Iohns receiuing the Virgin Marie into his house yet they translate as we do here to his owne The like example wee haue else where They returned vnto their owne The Disciples at Tyre hauing 〈◊〉 â—1 6. brought Paul and his company to the Sea side and seene them shipt returned to their owne houses To or vnto which are all one but not into Therefore there was in their iudgement no necessitie of reiecting our Translation in this text and forging a new But let the Translation passe the sense of the wordes is more worth our labour The Originall Greeke and the vulgar Latine make difference betwixt the wordes His owne in the former and the same in the later part of the verse The Greeke keepes the same word in both but alters the gender The 〈◊〉 Latine chaungeth the word too aswell as the gender Both the one and the other direct vs to expound the first of the place and the last of the persons Neither our translation nor the Rhemists expresse this difference If they had added to their into his owne Countrey or place or some such worde to make the Euangelists meaning more plaine I would haue thought they had rather indeauoured to bee vnderstood then striuen to dissent Well let vs then by his owne in the former clause conceiue that Saint Iohn notes the place whither our Sauiour came Thus remaines a great doubt whether this place bee the worlde in generall or the Land of Iudea in particular Not to trouble you with any long discourse of this point it seemes most likely to mee with reuerence of other mens iudgement that the holy Ghost in this verse speakes particularly of the Iewes Of the worlds ignorance and carelesnesse in not taking knowledge of so rare and extraordinarie a personage hee had spoken in the former verse and amplyfied their sin by nothing that he whom they did not know was their Creator as the miracles he wrought in their sight manifestly testified If this were a fault in the world as it was a most greeuous fault what was it for the Iewes to refuse him Should that bee obserued by our Euangelist and this past ouer without nothing especially since his whole story shewes that our Lordes Chryso hom 7. in loa Cyprâ—n ad Quâ—rin lib. 1. cap. Cyril in loa â—b 1. ca. 11. life and miracles were as it were shutte vp within the Land of Iurie Besides the worde in this later verse leades vs to the Iewes Hee came to his owne Comming to them argues more then Being in the worlde Ignorance was iustly imputed to the world Not receiuing is a sinne more fittely to bee charged vpon the Iewes If wee consider the wordes vsed by our Euangelist I thinke wee shall finde small reason to call the worlde Christs owne For although it bee true that the earth is 〈◊〉 24 1. the Lords c. and that our Sauiour was the maker of it and the whole worlde yet who euer obserued that the world was so appropriated to GOD or to the second person in Trinitie The possession that God promised to giue him is not in regard of Creation but 〈◊〉 â— 8. 〈◊〉 â—unc locum of Mediation whereas they that expound this place of all the world make Christs right thereunto consist in the title hee hath to it as the authour of it Now that is ordinarily sayde to bee a mans owne which is proper to him after some speciall manner otherwise then other thinges are But what canne wee imagine to which our Sauiour hath not as good clayme by his interest of Creation as to the worlde How then should this bee tearmed His owne and as some sren lib. cap. 11 auncient writers haue exprest the word His owne proper But if wee apply it to the Iewes euery man knowes that whereas all the worlde was GODS August in Ioa. tract 2. Iuâ—sua propra hee tooke the Land of Iewry into his especial protection And howsoeuer all nations were his by creation yet hee chose the Children of Israell to bee his peculiar people so that they and their Country were his owne not by nature but by grace indeede yet in such sort that hee made his aboade visibly amongst them aâ— hee did not in any part of the world beside The examples I alledged before wherein these wordes were vsed by the holy Ghost shew plainely that by His owne his particular place of habitation and his
sacrifice without which there is no forgiuenesse of sinnes to bee had Heb. 9 22. Phil. 2. 10. Neither is that honour Saint Paul speakes of to bee giuen to the name as if the sound of those letters so set together deserued any speciall reuerence or as if Iesus were of more excelleÌ„cy theÌ„ Christ For as I sayd once before then ought wee to esteeme the name of Iesus the sonne of Nun and of the other Iesus the sonne of Iosedeck more then of Christ the sonne of God Surely if any name require bowing of the knee it is that which God gaue himselfe euen Iehouah and the other of the same kind Eheieh Iah But the person is meant when the name is mentioned and the office of being a Sauiour is that to which all honour is due in heauen and in earth and vnder the earth by Angels and men not the Name of sauing which was common to our Lord with other men Why then doth the Euangelist vse this kinde of speech To beleeue in his name would hee thereby note our Lords power vpon which euery one that will bee saued must rest that hee may bee deliuered out of the handes of sinne and death This may seeme the likelier because that miracle of curing the cripple was wrought by the name of our Lord. In the name of Iesus Act. 3. 6. 16. Christ of Nazareth say Peter and Iohn rise vp and walke And where they giue account of their dooing His name hath made this man sound But I rather perswade my selfe that Saint Iohn followes the Hebrewe phrase by which ordinarily the name is vsed for the person Ahraham called on the name of the Gen. 13. 4. Lord. That is Abraham worshipt God and offered vp sacrifize vnto him for as yet that glorious name Iehouah was not knowne I hold it altogether needlesse to Exod. 3. 14. heape vp many examples in a matter out of question Nothing is more common then to haue the name of God taken for God himselfe Let him that hath no light Isay 50. 10. sayth the Prophet Isay trust in the name of the Lord and stay vpon his God The later expounds the former To trust in the name of God is nothing else but to stay or rest vpon God So that the name of God and God himselfe signifie both one thing His name also is often put for his worshippe as when the Priests are sayd to despise Mal. 1. 6. the name of the Lord the meaning is that they prophane his worship as a matter of no worth But this caÌ„not bee intended by the Euangelist For the better vnderstanding of whose meaning after the exposition of the words wee must consider how this verse dependes vpon the former which wee may thus reasonably conceiue The Euangelist in the next wordes before shewed the vnkindnesse and vnthankfulnesse of the Iewes in refusing him that made offer of himselfe vnto them His own receiued him not A strange vnkindnesse that a man so full of grace and power so holy in his life so gratious in his words so mighty in his deedes and that to the benefit of them among whome heeliued should notwithstanding all this bee so peremptorily reiected But was this all I grant it is not nothing to bee iustly condemned of such vnciuill and vnnaturall dealing But there is worse behind to shew the folly of these men in being occasion to themselues of so great a losse If an olde man of fayre lands and great wealth should seeke to bee intertained of his neer kinsmen or friends and not bee receiued would not all the world charge them with extraordinary vnkindnes and condemne them of singular folly for depriuing themselues of so goodly an inheritance and so great an estate as they weresure to haue enioyed by receiuing of him Such was the case in the Iewes refusall of our Sauiour As if Saint Iohn should haue sayd His owne to whome hee came receiued him not but if they had receiued him they had thereby beene made the sonnes of God For that prerogatiue hee gaue to as many as by faith entertained him So that our Euangelist in this one verse both implyes the vnrecouerable losse of the Iewes and all other that refuse him and expresseth the inualuable gaine of all that receiued him whether they were Iewes or Gentiles It seemes a small matter perhappes to many a man not to beleeue in Iesus Christ yea some men thinke it little better then simplicitie and basenesse to rest vpon him If these wretches knewe what is lost by refusing him what is gotten by receiuing him they would run after him with all the haste they can possibly make and imbrace him with both their armes But I will leaue these points to bee amplyfied anone when I haue handled the doctrine that our Euangelist teacheth vs in this place which is briefly this that whosoeuer beleeues in Iesus Christ hath by that beleeuing the honour to bee the sonne of God And because the matter is of so great importance containing the glorie of a true Christian and the meanes of attaining to it let vs I beseech you stirre vp our selues with all diligence to know and doe that which will certainely bring vs to the height of all true felicitie To which purpose I wil diuide my whole discourse into these two parts The prerogatiue to be the sonnes of God The meanes of obtaining it In the former I will first shewe what it is that is heere vouâ—chsaf't vs To he the sonnes of God Secondly that it is a prerogatiue which is amplyfied by the generality of it that it belonges to all that beleeue The later part offers two things to be considered touching the meanes That this prerogatiue is giuen that on our part beleeuing in Christ is required Many other points will fall in here and there but I content my selfe with propounding these that are most generall and easie to bee discerned in the Text. The first point concerning our being the sonnes of God requires that I should shewe some reason why the Euangelist makes choyse of this benefit aboue the rest that being declared I will come to the exposition of the point it selfe Many and excellent are the blessings which it hath pleased God of his infinite mercy to bestow vpon vs in his sonne Iesus Christ He saues vs from our sinnes He reconciles vs Mat. 1. 21. Rom. 5. 10 1. Cor. 1. 30. to God He is made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse and redemption When should I make an ende if I should recite euerie particular The question is why Saint Iohn passing ouer all other benefittes receiued by him mentions this rather theÌ„ any other What if we say he made especial choise of this because it is the greatest Surely wee shall say no more then is true and not vn likely For how could the Iewes be more iustly coÌ„demned the hearts of all men more inflamed with the loue of faith or the kindnesse of our Lord more
God Let mee reason with thee a little and take that I shall say in good parte For I doe it not to weaken thy perswasion but to strengtheÌ„ thy faith Hast thou euer confidered this point seriously and debated it aduisedly with thine owne heart Dost thou truly discerne and acknowledge that thou art naturally the child of the Diuell What Doost thou start at this Doe I seeme to wrong thee in abasing thy estate so much Thou art content to say thou art a sinner and it may bee thou doost indeed thinke thy selfe to haue deserued the wrath of God but thou canst not abide to haue it thought that thou wert at any time the Sonne of the Diuell This opinion would disgrace thee too much and affright thee too sore It were a harde matter for thee indeed euer to beleeue that God woulde make thee his Sonne if thou hadst this perswasion of thy selfe that thou art the childe of the Diuell I I am naught saist thou as other men are and I haue neede of Gods mercy and I hope hee will bee as good to mee as to any other But neuer thinke to make me beleeue that I am so bad Then indeed I had small cause to hope for any fauour at the handeâ— of God Tell me I beseech you Are not these the very thoughts of your hearts Doe you not thus flatter your soules If you knewe throughly what you are it were vnpossible you should so easily beleeue what you may bee But perhaps though you are not willing to knowe the worst of your selues in your estate by nature yet you are desirous to vnderstand the vttermost of the honour you may aâ—taine to by grace Well let vs conferre of this a little How many weekes or daies or houres haue you spent in the search of this Adoption which is vouchsaf't you in Christ Haue you learnd what it is to bee a Sonne Haue you made any estimate of the inheritance that is promised Doe you knowe the difference betwixt a seruant and a Sonne Is not al your trust in the plea of seruants If I doe my good will saith one I knowe God will accept of it What though I be ignorant of the mystery of my redemption Alas I am no Diuine no Scholler not booke learned God lookes for no such greate knowledge of mee I can tell that I must loue God aboue all things and my neighbour as my felfe If I doe this I am sure God will bee mercifull to mee and I shall goe to heauen O the blindnesse the wilfull blindnesse of ignorant men How long will yee despise the kind offer of the Lord When will yee begin to consider what honour he hath vouchsaf't you When will you haue any care to vnderstand your own happinesse The Lord God would haue you his Sonnes you wil continue obstinatly in the conditioÌ„ of seruants Hee would bestow heauen vpon you as an inheritance you will needes haue it as wages Hee offers to giue you title to it by adoption you striue to lay clayme to it by your owne purchase Would you choose to be seruants rather then Sonnes if you had any knowledge of these 2. estates You haue heard somewhat of the ioyes of heauen and you haue accordingly a plaine confused motion of the good estate of them that are there From hence ariseth a kinde of desire to bee partakers of those pleasures and by the flattery of selfe loue some manner of perswasion that ye shall enioy them But yee are as farre from knowing what it is to bee the sonnes of GOD as I shewed you were from beleeuing that you are the Children of the Diuell Is it any wonder then that wee make so light account of it who can desire that hee knowes not Where mens treasures are there also their hearts are Mat. 6. 21. Who is there that had not rather bee called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter then the brother of Iesus Christ To whome doth it not seeme a greater honour to bee the sonne in lawe of Saul then the adopted sonne of God A Lordshippe vpon earth is counted more worth then a kingdome in Heauen O the basenes of our thoughts O the error of our iudgement O the vilenesse of our affection wee bury our selues in the earth liker wormes then men Wee esteeme more of the pleasures of sinne for a season then of the euerlasting Heb. 11. 19. ioyes of God in Heauen Wee haue greater desire to the vaine titles of worldly honour then to the high prerogatiue of the sonnes of God prophane Esau Gen. 25. 32. that sold his brithright for a messe of pottage was a holy man in comparison of vs. Hee was driuen to the sale by a kinde of necessitie Wee by wantonnesse depriue our selues of this dignitie Hungeâ— made him part with that which was demaunded of him Fulnesse makes vs despise that which is offered to vs. It was in his conceite but a temporall possession that hee should haue enioyed It is an eternall inheritance that wee might possesse He remained Isaacs sonne still though hee lost his birth right wee by neglecting the prerogatiue of sonnes are vtterly shut out of Gods presence and fauour It were som what yet if we might be seruants For there is no place in the house of God that is not honourable But the case stands so with vs that we must either be sonnes or nothing I am sory the time cuts me off that I cannot follow and presse these matters as the worthiness and necessitie of them requires The Lord vouchsafe a blessing vpon that which hath bin spoken and prepare vs to a farder meditation of it in hearts to his owne glorie and our present and euerlasting comfort in Iesus Christ To wnome with the Father c. THE NINTH SERmon vpon the first Chapter of IOHN Verse 12. But to as many as receiued him to them he gaue the Prerogatiue c. THere are two thinges that ordinarily make men colde and negligent as in the pursuit of that they haue some minde to so in the desire of that which is offered ignorance of the worth thereof and a conceite that to them it will bee of small vse or profit To what end shoulde a man spend his time and labour in the search of that which when hee hath found it is not worth the taking vp and carrying away Or though perhaps it bee of some value in it selfe yet if I know not how to make any benefit of it I were as good spare my paines as lose my labour That neither of these two hinderances might holde vs from receiuing Christ by faith that we might become the sonnes of God and heires of euerlasting life in heauen In my last exercise I shewed both the excellency of this prerogatiue in it selfe and the inualuable profitte that would arise to vs thereof What greater honour can there possiblie bee imagined then to bee heyres apparant to the kingdome of heauen what higher aduancement can the conceite of men or
are now possest that Faith Hope Charity so beautify their soules that God cannot but acknowledge them for his children in whome he sees so liuely and perfect an image of himselfe This is the course that Popish religion teacheth all men to follow who are desirous to be made the Sonns of God If wee compare the meanes of attaining to this honor which according to the Euangelists direction wee embrace with that course which they present I doubt not but we may truly say that our faith which is counted for righteousnes is more excellent then their proud supposed righteousnes so highly magnifyed by them For seeing the maine ende of all religion is the glory of God by what shall we valew the excellency of any vertue or vertuous action rather then by the more or lesse aduancing of that glory And by what is or can God be more glorifyed in the saluation of man then by our disclayming and renouncing of all possibibility in our selues and in all creatures and resting vpon him alone as the only hope of al our happinesse By this we acknowledge his sufficiency to bee infinit his kindnesse to be incomparable If we trust to him for succour it is plaine we are throughly perswaded that hee hath power and skill to deliuer vs. Wants he wisdome to discerne by what meanes our deliuerance must bee wrought How should we rely vpon him that knows not whereby to helpe vs Admit his skill were very great in perceiuing what were to bee done for our succour What can that availe vs if hee lack power to doe or procure that to be done which hee sees wee stand in need of Is it not a singular honour to God to haue his wisdome and his power thus highly magnifyed Reason confesseth it is beyond her reach Learning profeseth she can afford vs no instruction for the search therof Experience proclaymeth shee neuer saw any thing that might possibly be obserued to giue vs any direction in the businesse Men and Angells are wholly to seeke All created wisdome fayles vs. God onely as being only infinite makes supply of that to the knowledge whereof it was not possible for any finite wisdome to attaine Neither is the power of any creature greater then his knowledge yea who knows 〈◊〉 more then he can doe What should I multiply words in so plaine a case The Sonne of God must become man and by his bloud powred out in sacrifice appease the wrath of his Father reconcile the world to God by the pardon of Sin adoption into the state of children What power is there in men or Angells to procure this fauour It is vnpossible to inforce him that is almightie And if he do it not willingly as good not do it at all For hee that offers vnwillingly makes his offering of no valew How then May they hire him to do this seruice What needes he that is Lord of heauen and earth hath all in his possession What haue we to giue who our selues are not our owne As if a bond-slaue that hath nothing nostri Iuris but that which is his masters should redeeme himselfe with giuing some treasure which before he giues it is his to whom it must be giuen What remaines then but intreaty To whom shall we sue What colour of reason shal we deuise to ground our petition vpon With what face shall we come into his presence to whom our very comming is odious The neerer wee presse to him the more we sin The greater our sin is the hotter is his wrath The heauier his displeasure is the farder wee are from hope of fauour What shal we but prouok him by praying to him incense him by intreating him As for making of any means to him there is none in any place about him but doth truly worthily hate vs as long as we continue in their Lords displeasure If we might haue accesse durst we trowe you presume to approche vnto him When our first parents had broken that one Commandement afterward heard the voice of the Lord walling Gen. 3. 8. in the garden in the coole of the day they hid themselues saith the Text from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the Garden Why did they not rather shewe themselues and fall downe before the Lord intreat for mercy The same conscience of sin sense of the wrath of God would now also take from vs all heart to appeare before him to make intreatie But suppose we were admitted into his presence to offer vp our petition What should wee say How might wee begin to make so vnreasonable a request Is there any man so voyde of sense as to thinke that hee can perswade a kinde father to send his onely sonne so louing so beloued not onely to bee infinitly abased in his estate but also to bee put to a most cruell and shamefull death that for strangers Strangers sayd I It were too much if wee were no more but strangers What is it then to Rom. 5. 6. send him for the behoofe of enemies of rebels traytors Shall wee try if wee can preuaile so much with the sonne as to become a sacrifice for vs The very vnreasonablenesse of the suit makes me ashamed to think on it and is it possible we should moue it Would you intreat him to dye for you O absurd and ridiculous motion O senselesse and impious supplication But I must remēber that the time passeth stay my self in the midst of my race It is enough for the matter in hand that wee vnderstand what honour wee doo to God by acknowledging his loue his power and his wisedom in resting on him onely for saluation and giuing all the glorie and thankes for it to his maiesty and mercy As for the Papists that follow the other course whereby they looke to make themselues the sonnes of God though they pretend I know not what extraordinarie loue to him yet in trueth either they loue him not at all or if they doe it is because they imagin that hee lets them haue the cheefe glorie of their owne saluation Seeme I to any man to speake hardlier of them then they deserue I appeale to the vnpartiall iudgement of any reasonable man Thus stands the case betwixt God and them Hee of his owne mercy hath prouided meanes by which they may bee saued but he hath taken no order that they shall bee saued If they will make vse of this generall fauour they may if they will not choose them God hath as it were cast his almes amongst them happy man bee his dole that seaseth on them If so well if not so He for his part could be contēted that euery man shuld lay hold on his offer of saluation But hee leaues it to their owne choyse and sittes by looking on to see who will and who will not If any man beleeue and bee saued hee may thanke God that hee might attaine to saluation but that hee