that is none other wise than a kinges sonne shuld do To our purpose Kinges and Princes haue their glorie and their maiestie semelie for their state the Lorde Iesus had glorie semelie for Goddes sonne ¶ THE ONLY BEGOTTEN This word auanceth the Lorde Iesus aboue al creatures and teacheth him to be Goddes natural son We ar also called Goddes sonnes but that is by adoption by fauor by grace not by natural generation By natural generation God hath one only sonne who of his goodnes mercie hath made vs partakers of that that he is by nature This word only begotten ought wel to be weighed For it teacheth the Lorde Iesus to be of the same substance that the father is of and and therefore verie God and aequal to the father For these thinges hange together folow one another For our EuaÌgelist teacheth in the .5 chap. that whan the lorde Iesus saied God was his father he meÌt patera idion his awne father that is his natural father therefore shewed him selfe aequal to God For it foloweth in dede that if God be his awne father that is to saie his father by natural generation he must nedes be aequal to God his father For in the Godhead there is nothinge greater or smaller He that is of Goddes substaÌce must nedes be God And he that is God must nedes be infinite aboue al measure greatnes So to be Goddes oÌly begotteÌ sonne God to be his awne father bothe which wordes this EuaÌgelist hath of the lorde Iesus ovthroweth al that maie be diuised by anie rauiÌge braine against his tru natural godhead Yet the Arrians lille out theyr blasphemous tounges stil francticly allege the scriptures for them For first thei iangle that it is writteÌ in this gospel the father is greater thaÌ I. Wherevnto first I saye that one place of this gospel is not to be expouned agaiÌst the hole purpose of the boke which is to teach that the lorde Iesus is Goddes natural sonne aequal to God And sith the Euangelist hath this worde aequal plainly and expressely thei shew themselues mad that wold make him to encouÌtre agaiÌst himselfe SecoÌdly I saie that in that place the lorde Iesus compareth not his substance with the fathers substaÌce but compareth his present huÌble state with the glorious state that he shulde haue after his asceÌsion And therefore al the godlie old fathers welnigh haue taught those wordes to be spoken of his maÌnes nature which shuld be forth with aduauÌced to immortal incorruptible glorie by the power of the father Some greke writers in dede admitte that the father is greater theÌ the sonne not bicause he hath greater power or that there is anie differeÌce in their substaÌce essence but in that he is the father and begetteth the sonne and is not begotteÌ of the sonne therefore he maie be saide greater The meaninge also of those wordes the father is greater than I maie be this The ende why I trauaile with you is not that you shuld staie in me and loke no farther but to bringe you to the father as to the last marcke that with me you maie see him as he is Whose glorie is more dere to me thaÌ is myn awne glorie therefore I seke it more thaÌ myne awne I thincke that I haue not accomplished myne office vntil I haue brought you to him But our ArriaÌs sith they be ouer the shoues sticke not blindly to presse forwarde to goe ouer the bootes to For thei ruÌne to this place writteÌ to the Cor. chap. 15. WhaÌ al thinges shal be made subiecte to him thaÌ shal the sonne also him selfe be assubiected to him who hath assubiected al thinges to him But what if we auÌswere that that also is spokeÌ touchinge his maÌnes nature For the same autor S. Paule in the .2 to the Philip. teacheth that touchinge his diuine nature he thought it no robberie to be aequal with God Naie saie they for than he shuld not haue saide shal be assubiected for that nature is al readie subiecte Wil they grauÌt than that the lorde Iesus hath a nature that is not now subiecte to God but shal be hereafter If they wil grauÌt that thaÌ wil I saie that what so euer is not now subiecte to God in the lorde Iesus shal nev be subiecte to God For that that is once aequal to God shal euer be aequal to God How than is it saide that his maÌnes nature shal be assubiected if it be al readie assubiected I aunswere bicause we shal thaÌ know it which now we beleue only For as S. Augustine proueth in the holie scripture thinges are saide to be don whaÌ they beginne to be knoweÌ of vs. As whan we saie halowed be thy name Goddes name of it selfe is holie but we desire that it maie be so knowen to vs. For fuller vndrestandinge of that place of Sainct Paule ye shal considre that al power is giuen to Christ in that he is clothed with maÌnes nature For God hath exalted him in the same nature wherein he was humbled The scripture than witnesseth that Christ hath ful dominion and raigneth ouer heauen and erth God in dede is our gouernor but it is in the face of Christes maÌnes nature Now Christ shal surreÌdre the kingdom that was giuen vnto him that we maie cleaue perfectly to God Howbeit he shal not by that meanes vtterly giue vp his kingdoÌ where of as the scripture teacheth there is no ende but he shal as it were conueie it from his manhod to his godhead For thaÌ we shal haue an opeÌ entree free accesse to the diuine maiestie where now our weaknes wil not suffre vs to approche Christ thaÌ shal this waie be subiected to the father for thaÌ the veale shal be taken awaie the office of his mediation shal some waie cease we shal se God face to face raigniÌge in his glorie without anie coueringe meane And where sainte Paule saieth that God maie be al in al some thincke he speaketh so bicause we shal haue than without anie meane manie coÌmodities which god now ministreth vnto vs by creatures For mainteinaÌce of our life we shal than haue no nede of bread drincke c. nether for aedifyinge shal we haue nede of the sacramentes of the church nor the outwarde worde of the scripture nor ecclesiastical offices For God by him selue shal be al in al. Other teache the meaniÌge of those wordes to be that the flesh shal couet no more against the spirite but God shal possesse euerie parte of vs and reigne in vs fully and perfectly which thinge in this life is only begonne Here I wil leaue the Arrians stickinge in the mire wil returne to S. IohaÌ FVL of grace and veritee Bicause that afterwarde he setteth grace veritee against the law there be that thinke that his meaninge is here that the Apostles acknowleged him to be Goddes sonne by this that he
and inestimable beautie Assuredly this can neuer be thought vpoÌ this can neuer be wondred at inough ¶ AS RECEAVED They receaue him that acknowlege him to be Goddes son and that he became man in mannes nature died for the purgation and satisfaction of their sinnes breifely to receaue here signifieth to beleue as S. Iohan maketh the exposition him selfe in the wordes folowinge HE GAVE them power The idols men wringe this place to the maintenaÌce of free wil. For they vnderstande that choise hereby is giuen vs to be the children of God if we wil or to refuse the same But S. Iohan declareth forthwith in the wordes folowinge that Goddes children are not made by the wil of the flesh but whan they be begotten of God Goddes begettinge maketh vs GoÌddes children and we ar not left to our choise with a power whereby to make our selues Goddes childreÌ but we ar Goddes children al readie whan he hath begotteÌ vs. For he begetteth perfectly he begetteth not moÌsters halfe childreÌ or a luÌpe of matter where of childreÌ maie be made afterwarde And the greke worde that S. Io. vseth is not dynamis which signifieth power but exousia which signifieth dignitee auctoritee Here riseth a question if Goddes chosen were by predestination his childreÌ before the beginninge of the world how agreeth it that thaÌ they ar made his childreÌ whaÌ thei beleue For they were his children before beinge his chosen predestinate It is true that God made those his childreÌ that euer shulde be his childreÌ in his purpose thorough free electioÌ before the worlde was made But this thei fele nat vntil God by his holie spirite kendle faith in them and assure them of that that they were before And here also I wil giue you an other thinge to note S. Iohan saieth that as manie as beleue ar Goddes sonnes But none ar now Goddes sonnes that were not euer Goddes sonnes in his infallible purpose that is none ar Goddes sonnes but his chosen So thei that beleue in dede ar Goddes chosen therefore can neuer perishe For God can nether beÌ deceaued in his choosinge nor is a chauÌgelinge to altre the thinge that he hath once purposed Nether hangeth he vpon mannes behauior suspendinge his determinatioÌ but al his purposes ar stablished to gether sure certaine thei staÌde fast for euer beinge oÌce for al decreed You wil grauÌte perchauÌce that Goddes election is sure infallible but yet you can not be so one persuaded that al that beleue ar Goddes chosen For SimoÌ Magus beleued and in the parable of the sower the lorde speaketh of some which haue faith for a time I auÌswere that those such had neuer the faith of Goddes children But how shal we know wil you saie that we haue the faith of goddes childreÌ seiÌge there is another faith besides which maie begile vs. I auÌswere that whaÌ we haue such faith as briÌgeth forth a feliÌge of the swetenes of goddes mercie in Christ Ies an vnfained loue towardes God we haue the faith of Goddes Children And ar and ar sealed vp by Goddes spirite and haue the sure and infallible ernest of euerlastinge life IN HIS NAME It is more liuelie and more ample and of greater maiestie whan it is said to them that beleue in his name than if it had ben saide to them that beleue in him The scole men in dede putte a difference betwene credere deum credere deo credere in deum Credere deum with them is to beleue that there is a God Credere deo is to beleue Goddes saiynges Credere in deum is to trust in God and to loue him And therefore S. Augustine saieth that to beleue in God is in beleuinge to loue him and in louinge to trust in him But the scripture obserueth not this distinction For in the 14. of Exod. we haue that whan the Israhelites saw the AegyptiaÌs ouerthrowen by Goddes power thei beleued BAIHOVA ou be Mosheh abdo i. in Iehoua and in Moses his seruant And againe in the .19 God saieth to Moses I wil coÌme douÌne to the in a thicke cloud that the people maye heare me speakinge with the and beleue ' BECHA that is in the c. But is neuer saide that anie beleued in the name of a maÌ For name to the hebrues signifieth power as whan S. Paule saieth that God gaue the lorde Iesus a name aboue al names he meaneth plaiÌly power aboue al power So to beleue in the name of Iesus importeth necessarely that he is God WHICHE neyther of bloude Some thincke that this is a figure called in greke pleonasmos wherby manye woordes are heaped together to signify one thiÌg For they saie that these wordes of bloudes of the wil of the flesh of the wil of maÌ signifie one thing namely carnal natiuitye generation so thei teache that meÌ beget carnall childreÌ onely God begetteth spiritual childreÌ And in deede maÌs generation makethe vs not Goddes childreÌ we muste be regeÌdred by God to be his childreÌ Other thincke that he numbreth vp by partes al that is excelleÌt in maÌ where in he maie seeme to haue some affiaunce to atteyne to the dignitie of Goddes sonne And that so he teacheth that by no auncitrie no priuilege of bloude by no holines of fore fathers nor anie maner of streÌgth or faculte in mankinde maÌ atcheueth the place of Goddes soÌnes Bothe expositioÌ is teÌde to this end that we are not made holie by anie force of nature but by the grace and mercie of God regeneratinge and newe begettinge vs and that is plainely S. IohaÌs meaninge The wil of maÌ S. IohaÌ vsethe for the wil of anie maÌ for so the hebreus vse the word ish maÌ for euerie maÌ BEGOTTEN God begetteth vs whaÌ accordinge to his aeternal purpose electioÌ he puttethe his spirite into vs and by his force plaÌteth faith in our hartes to embrace his worde reneweth our mindes frameth theÌ againe vnto true holines righteousnes God grauÌt that we maie al feele that we ar begotten of God that considering the high dignitie where vnto we are called we occupie not ourselues vnsemely in vile offices but trauaile al the daies of oure lyfe in suche thinges as aduaunce the glorie of our heauenlie father Amen ⧠The Fift READING VVith verie few but the same most pithie semelie apte wordes the EuaÌgelist hath declared vnto vs the diuine nature of the Lorde Iesus his power shewed forth sette abrode to the sight af al men by his most wondreful worckes For by this Godhead diuine nature of the Lorde Iesus bothe al thinges were first made of nothinge and now also al thinges ar preserued coÌtinued in their state that they returne not to nothinge By it al thinges liue moue haue their beinge By it maÌ wherein he excelleth other liuinge creatures is furnished with the light of reason vndrestandinge which though thorough maÌnes faute it be
Abraham was I am Was before me The old latine traÌslatioÌ out of the greke had factus est was made before me which caused much superfluous talke amoÌge meÌ vaine tormeÌtinge of wittes how the lord cold be said to be made before IohaÌ For his maÌnes nature was not made before Io. And his diuine nature was neuer made The ambiguitee doubtful significatioÌ of the word deceaued both the interpreter them For genesthai signifieth to be made also to be And in the later significatioÌ it is vsed in this verie chap. egene to anthropos c. there was a maÌ sent For we caÌ not saie there was a maÌ made sent Was before In matters of religion we haue great regarde what meÌ before vs haue thought Wherein this is our faute that we extende not our sight far inough For we loke to them in dede that were befote vs but we loke not to him that was before them that were before vs yea that was before al. S. Cyprian reprouinge this shortnes of our sight saieth that we ought not to loke what meÌ before vs thought good to do but what he did that is before al. It shal be good therefore for vs to know what religion the lorde Iesus taught commended who was before our holie bisshoppes 15. huÌdred yeres For he was my first The worde for rendreth a cause why a thinge is don Io Bap. thaÌ sheweth a reason why he saide that the lord Iesus was before him bicause saieth he he was my first that is to saie my prince my head my autor my maker And that in dede proueth sufficieÌtly that he was before him The latine translation hath quia prior me erat bicause he was before me But than it shuld haue ben accordinge to the grammatical rules of speech in the comparatiue degree not protos mou in the positiue More ouer Io. shuld so seme to proue the same by the same which we vse not to doe Of his fulnes Here we haue the fouÌtaine hedspringe of al the graces giftes that euer anie maÌ hath had heretofore were he nev so good holie or shal haue hereafter Out of this wel of liuinge waters which neuer faileth is neuer dried vp or draweÌ out al the saintes prophetes from the beginninge drue al the knowlege goodnes holines al the spiritual motioÌs vertues excelleÌt qualities that euer thei had theÌselues or stirred vp in other Out of the same welle floweth vnto vs shal flowe hereafter vnto the ende of the world what so euer is good and vertuous what so euer pertaineth to the attainment of true felicitee and of a blisful life For he hath not only these thinges but is ful of them For as S Paule writeth to the Col. in him dwelleth al the fulnes of the Godhead somaticos bodily that is to saie substaÌtially not in image not in shadow but in bodie in substaÌce in dede We lerne thaÌ by this senteÌce of Io. Bap. that no knowlege no goodnes no holines no maner of vertue is to be sought anie where saue in the lorde Iesus And more ouer that we nede not feare left we shal want anie spiritual thiÌge if we resorte to him seinge that he hath the fulnes of the spirite Lastly that al meÌ what so euer thei be ar voide of grace and godlines by nature sith al receaue out of the fulnes of Goddes sonne We al saieth Io. Bap. nombriÌge him selfe amoÌge the rest And if Io. Bap. receaued his holines out of the fulnes of the lord Iesus gotte it not by his natural streÌghth godlie preparatioÌs as the great idoles meÌ vainly iaÌgle I maie boldly pronounce that neuer anie man had or caÌ haue anie true vertue holines but by the gift of the lord Ies that nothiÌge maie be lest to anie where of to bost For if thei haue receaued out of the fulnes of another why shuld they bost as though thei had not borowed al of another but had possessed some what of theÌselues Wherefore these wordes of Io. Bap. beate doune what so euer idle heades haue builded raised vp to aduaÌce maÌnes streÌghth maÌnes merites And here we maie not passe ouer that this place also proueth the Lord Iesus to be verie god For who is the fouÌtaine of al knowlege goodnes holines spiritual graces in al ages in al meÌ but God only But as we must know hereby that he is God so we must know that he possesseth not these thinges to this ende that he maie haue no maner of want but to sende them forth to the vse of meÌ For he kepeth not his treasures to him selfe enuiously or niggeshly but ioieth to distribute them and to sende them abrode Nether is he a merchaunt maÌ to make sale of them but giueth them frely as we ar taught in Esaie O al ye that thirst coÌme to the waters euen he that hath no monei comme bye for no moneie for no price wine milke To buyie for no moneie is a verie easie buyinge yea it is no buyinge but a free receauinge Sith thaÌ the lorde Iesus possesseth the fulnes of al spititual riches possesseth the same not to himselfe only but also to our vse more ouer calleth vs frely to enioie his goodes my counsel shal be that you resorte not for aide coÌforte and purchasinge of Goddes grace to Marie or IohaÌ to Petre or to Paule but to him who possesseth al good thinges not by borowinge but by nature not in parte but fully not to his awne vse only but to the vse of meÌ in this world cheifely proprely of Goddes chosen For he hath also manie good thinges which he giueth eueÌ to the reprobate as beautie strenghth of bodie eloqueÌce knowlege of liberal scieÌces wordlie riches c. But he hath certaine special iuels which he giueth only to his chosen namely tru faith true righteousnes holines true ioifulnes patieÌce constaÌtie in afflictions true peace quietnes of conscieÌce Grace for grace This sentence is sondrie wise expouned I wil first shew you S. Augustines minde These be his wordes vpon this place ThaÌ brethern al we haue receaued out of his fulnes out of the fulnes of his mercie haue we receaued what RemissioÌ of sinnes that we might be iustified by faith And what more ouer Grace for grace that is to wit for this grace whereby we liue of faith we shal receaue another grace namely euerlastinge life But what els is it saue grace For if I shal saie that this is due to me I assigne some what to my selfe as to whom it is due But God crouneth the giftes of his mercie in vs. Thus ye see S. Augustines meaninge to wit that al Goddes good giftes and in the ende euerlastinge life is not a recompeÌse of our merites but commeth of the free liberalitee of God bicause it pleaseth him so to rewarde his former graces to croune