the Gospell to give eare to Christ that speaketh to us in the ministery of the Word This is my beloved Son heare him Now in the end the Apostle makes an exposition of the Allegorie and applies it to them to whom he writeth I doe not speake of the Tabernacle or Temple which were glorious houses wherein God in some sort dwelt but I speake of Gods spirituall house the Church a part whereof you are as well as Moses and they in the time of the Law All Christians in all Ages are the house of God What a singular honor is this that we should be Gods house yea his dwelling-house 1. A Nobleman hath many Houses which hee dwels not in himselfe but letteth them forth to other men we are not houses to let but God himselfe dwelleth in us we are his mansion-mansion-House The Centurion said to Christ I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roofe so may we say we are mortall and sinfull men houses of clay unworthy that God should come under our roofe yet it pleaseth him of his infinite mercy to dwell in such base houses as we are 2 If God dwell in us and we be his house then how neat and handsome should it be kept Shall a Kings house be overgrowne with weeds Shall there be filthy and sluttish corners in a Kings Palace And shall we that professe our selves to be Gods house be full of pride envie and malice that be stinking weeds in the nostrils of God Shall Gods house be full of swearers drunkards adultereres c. The divell found his house swept and garnished to his minde and shall not Gods house be swept for the entertaining of him Let us garnish our selves which are Gods house with the sweet flowers of faith love hope zeale humility temperance patience sobriety that God may take delight to dwell in us 3 There is no man especially if he dwell in an house and it be his owne but will bestow needfull reparations on it and do you think God will suffer his house to lye unrepaired nay being Gods house we shall want nothing for soule or body If we decay in faith zeale and other graces of his spirit he will in due season repaire them againe he will keepe his house wind-tyde and water-tyde he will preserve it from wind and weather yea the gates of hell shall never prevaile against his house 4 A man may have an house and be defeated of it some wrangling Lawyer may wring it out of his hand or he may be weary of his house and make it away none can snatch Gods house out of his hand he is no changling he will keepe his house for ever Blessed are we that be GODS house and the Lord give us grace to keepe us undefiled for his Majesty that he may take pleasure to dwell in us in this World and wee may dwell with him in the World to come What are we the house of God simply Live as we list and do what we will No verily but if we hold fast the confidence c. One speciall quality of a good house is to be firme and stable if it be a tottering house ready to shake in every wind and tempest a man will have small joy to dwell in it even so we that be the house of God Almighty must not be wavering and inconstant but we must stand sure and hold fast the graces we have received There be two things which we must hold fast faith and hope the boldnesse that we have by faith to come into the presence of God to whom we have accesse by Christ apprehended by faith and by vertue whereof we may boldly call God Father and open our minds freely to him that is the nature of the word Vnto faith must be annexed hope faith makes a Christian hope nourishes and susteines a Christian we must hold both fast As we have begun to put our trust in Christ so we must make him our pillar to leane upon continually as we have begun to hope for eternall happinesse purchased by Christ so we must still stand in a stedfast expectation of it Though persecution arise for the Gospell though we be clapt up into prison banished out of our country though we be put to the fire for the name of Christ yet let us not cast away our hope let us not deny Christ and sleepe in an whole skin let not the pleasures and profits of this world carry us away from Christ though death it selfe come yet let us trust in him We are wont to be hold-fasts in our money none shall easily get that from us but let us chiefly be hold-fasts in the Pearles and graces of the Spirit Whatsoever comes let us hold faith and hope fast let Houses and Lands Wife and Children yea our owne life goe rather than them Thus if we hold the confidence that we have in CHRIST and the rejoycing of our hope to the end we shall be Gods houses in this life and be received up into that house which is made without hands in the heavens He doth not simply say hope but the rejoycing of the hope the glorying of hope Satan and his instruments goe about to overthrow our hope and mocke at it It is a goodly thing I warrant you which you hope for What fooles are you in hope of an imaginarie kingdome hereafter to deprive your selves of so many pleasures in this life bee wiser than so A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush Take your pleasure whyle you be here and hope not yee cannot tell for what To that hee opposeth this glorying and rejoycing Yea boast of your hope even before your enemies faces what excellent things are reposed for you and rejoyce in this hope as if you had the kingdome of heaven already Not as if these did make us the house of GOD but by these wee shall have an assurance to our selves that we are the house of GOD. A Father sayes to his Sonne if thou wilt be no Ale-house hunter but doe as I will have thee thou shalt be my Sonne this doth not make him his Sonne for he was his Sonne before but it assures him to be his Sonne A Captaine sayes to his souldier if thou wilt play the man and not shrinke in the wetting thou shalt be my Souldier yet hee was his Souldier before so here if yee hold fast faith and hope ye shall be my house that is all the world shall see indeede that you are my house not for a while but to the end So as neither we faint in persecution nor in the time of prosperity bee drowned in the pleasures and profits of this world Be faithfull to the end he that continueth to the end shall be saved The second argument is desumed from the testimony of the Holy Ghost In the allegation of the testimony first a charge not to shut up their eares and hearts against this worthie and heavenly Prophet but to entertaine him
shadowes Not of bad things he is no High-Priest of evill things as Annas and Caiphas were but of good things that is of most excellent things the positive being put for the superlative A good worke that is a worthy worke he that findeth a Wife findeth a good thing that is an excellent thing Some think that by the first Tabernacle was signified the militant Church as by the second the Church triumphant Christ by the Church militant gathered by God not by man entred into heaven all went into heaven by the Church militant Some more speciall thing is here avouched of Christ. Some againe by it understand Heaven but that cannot bee for then by Heaven he should enter into heaven for V. 24. the Holy of Holies is expounded to be heaven But rather by this tabernacle was signified the body of Christ. As the High-Priest came into the first Tabernacle and by it passed into the Holy place So the deity of our SAVIOUR CHRIST came into his sacred humanity and by it entred into heaven Thus is CHRIST's body compared unto a Temple Ioh. 2. and to the vaile Heb. 10.20 As God dwelt in that Tabernacle of the Iewes so the deity dwelt in Christ's humanity bodily This Tabernacle is illustrated by the adjuncts and the efficient cause the adjuncts are two 1. A greater not in quantity but in quality as the King is greater than any in the Realme that is more worthy Christ was greater than Salomon not in stature or bignesse of body but in excellency the greatest of these is love that is the chiefest So Christ's body was a greater that is a farre more excellent Tabernacle That was perfect in his kinde being finished according to GODS direction but this is more perfect that could perfect nothing touching our salvation but only shadowed out things to come by and in this Tabernacle was perfected the worke of our redemption consummatum est The efficient cause is set downe negatively whereby the affirmative part may be easily collected Of men not of the like structure and fabricke that the other Tabernacle was that Tabernacle was made by the hands of Aholiaâ— and Bezaleel this Tabernacle of Christ's body was made by the hands of the Holy Ghost Hebr. 8.2 that Tabernacle was made of Wood Gold Silver hayre c. this Tabernacle of Christ's body was made of the flesh of the Virgin not by the copulation of a man but by the shadowing of the Holy Ghost a Tabernacle farre more glorious than that was There yee have the truth of the Tabernacle A thing come is better than that which is to come A child come into the world is more acceptable then one to come a feast come then one to come CHRIST was to come in the time of the Law now he is come Let us receive him with joy as old father Simeon did Hee is not a laick but a Priest not an inferiour but an High-Priest All were subject to the High-Priest in the time of the Law and let us submit our selves to Christ our High-Priest in the time of the Gospell Here we may see what they be that in truth deserve the name and title of good things Not silver and gold houses and lands Sheepe and Oxen faire houses large lands and ample possessions CHRIST at his comming brought none of these yet hee brought good things with him namely remission of sins the glorious robe of his owne righteousnesse to cover us withall faith and other graces of the spirit and habitation in his owne kingdome in the life to come these indeed are worthy the name of good things Projicimus nomen boni Seneca when we adscribe it to these inferiour things Why callest thou me good sayes Christ to the young man So why doe we call these earthly and transitory things good The onely good things are the spirituall blessings that Christ bringeth The greatest sort crave worldly goods but let us entreat the Lord to fill our store-store-house with these good things The Philosophers made three kindes of good things bona animi as wit and wisedome learning bona corporis as beauty strength bona fortunae as riches honours c. to speake the truth none of them all are good things they be good things that can make the parties good that have them these doe not Esau had a good wit could readily descant on Iacobs name yet he was no good man Iulian the Apostata had great variety of learning yet a vile man Haman had great honour his throne exalted above all yet hee a wicked man Og King of Bashan had strength Ahsalom beauty yet evill men Health is a good thing A man may come to Church heare service and Sermons which he cannot when he is sicke Wealth is good A man may bee liberall to all good uses laying up a good foundation against the time to come but these are not worthy to be named with those which we have in Christ. Therefore let us desire those good things that can make us good to engraft us into Christ in this life and make us heyres of his kingdome in the life to come Forsomuch as our Priest bringeth such excellent things with him let him be most welcome to us David said of Ahimaaz he is a good man and bringeth good tidings much more let us say of Christ our High-Priest he is a good man he bringeth good tidings that by the bloud of his Crosse he hath reconciled us to God the Father hath obtained a generall pardon for all our sins he hath prepared a place for us in his own kingdome therefore let us receive him with all joy The High-Priest in the time of the Law could bring no such good newes hee only came with the bloud of a Goate Bullocke c. That was a representation of the bloud of CHRIST The Pope that challengeth to himselfe the title of an High-Priest in the time of the Gospell sendeth forth his pardons and indulgences but they are little worth they cannot free us from one sin it is Christ alone that is the messenger and author of all good things to us therefore let us skip for joy at his comming and embrace him with both armes As Christ's body is a Tabernacle So is ours 2 Pet. 1.14 2 Cor. 5.1 1. The name of a tent or Tabernacle imports a warfare Souldiers have their tents Abraham Isaac dwelt in tents the Iewes had the feast of Tabernacles Wee fight against Satan and his instruments in the tents of our bodies 2. There is a difference betweene a Tabernacle and an house for an house is made of solid matter Wood Stone c. A Tent is made of old clothes patched together so our bodies are not made of the Sun of the Starres of the firmament but of the earth which is a brittle thing 3. A Tent is weake easily pierced through so our body a knife a pin may pricke it a flie may choake it A Tent is quickly up and quickly downe So is our body wee
sicut Angelorum judicium fuit inexorabilius quà m hominum ita Ministrorum gravius erit quà m Laicorum Therefore let us be types and examples of all goodnesse to our flockes and as we are called the light of the world so let us bee lights indeede Let our light so shine before men that seeing our good workes they may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Yet more particularly wee must examine our conversation in that speciall calling wherein wee be set The weaver labours in the loome the Merchant on the sea the husband-man is seldome from the plough and our plough must in a manner bee alwayes going ever looking to GODS husbandrie that is committed to us Many there bee that live honestly among their neighbours and are good house-keepers but they neglect their Cure I but innocens absque sermone conversatio quantùm exemplo prodest tantùm silentio nocet sayes Saint Ierome Episcopus est nomen operis Saint Ambrose compares him to a Bee that is ever gathering honey out of the flowers of the Scriptures Id componens arte oris sui and delivers it to the people Saint Chrys. is bold to say Necesse est Episcopum in singulos dies sementem facere ut ipsa saltem assuetudine doctrinae auditorum animi sermonem retinere possint Be instant sayes Saint Paul in season and out of season so often as we can for gifts of minde and body So often as the people can conveniently assemble together let the Ministers of the Lord cast forth the net of the Gospell and be drawing of some fishes to the shoare of eternall life Blessed is the servant whom his Lord when hee commeth shall finde so doing To him He will say come thou good and faithfull servant enter into the joy of thy Master O what an excellent thing is it for a minister thus to affirme with Saint Paul that he hath kept a good conscience in all things in his entrance into the ministery and in a faithfull wise diligent and religious exequution of his office to Gods glory and the benefit of the people such a one may sing for joy with the Swan when hee is ready to depart out of the world I have fought a good fight from henceforth is layd up for me a crowne of righteousness which the righteous Iudge will give me at that day It will play Ioab with us it will say nothing while the fact is a doing but when it is done it will cry alarme against us he himselfe will be most against us as the man that left Absalom hanging sayd of Ioab Therefore as Saint Augustine counselleth us let us obturare ei os in hoc mundo ne clamet contra nos in futuro let us doe nothing so neere as we can that may wound our consciences in this life that wee may make a comfortable accompt in the life to come Take heede of the thousand witnesses nay of the thousand armies as Luther calls it If thou beest arraigned of fellony murder treason at the barre of an earthly judge and but two witnesses come against thee Lord have mercy on thee thou art gone and how shalt thou quake before the barre of GODS tribunall seate when a thousand witnesses shall step out against thee then there is nothing to be expected but that fearefull voice goe thou cursed c. Wee of the Ministery are much subject to the tongues of men we are set on an hill and the eyes of all are converted upon us If there bee but a little spot in the face it is quickly espied and a great matter is made of it yea let us walke as warily as we can give no offence to any yet men will take offence and the best Ministers though living under the protection of a gracious Prince we may escape the clawes of men yet certainely not the best of us all can escape the jawes of men and let not that trouble us for if all could not give CHRIST a good word some sayd hee was a good man others nay but he deceiveth the people then let not us thinke that bee sinfull wretches to have every mans good word In all speeches and obloquies let us have recourse to our consciences and heare what they say of us If all the world commend us and our consciences condemne us we can have no comfort On the contrary side if all the world speake evill of us and our consciences speake good to us we need not to care for any of them all Let us remember that worthy speech of a worthy Father nec malam conscientiam sanat praeconium laudantis nec bonam vulnerat opprobrium criminantis We are wont to say if I have GOD and the King on my side I care for no man in England So may we say if I have GOD and a cleare conscience on my side I care for no man in all the world The Papists say it is unlawfull for a Minister to marry Some Protestants say it is inconvenient for Ministers to marry and indeed their maintenance being so small it is so yet for all that I say it is both lawfull and convenient nay necessary for all Ministers to marry for all without exception But wot ye to what wife namely to a good conscience If thou beest marryed to her if thou hast her at home to comfort thee in the house of thine heart though thy living be never so small thou shalt live marveilously well yea more at hearts ease then King Richard the third did in his Kingdome but if thou beest a minister and hast a Xantippe at home the worme of conscience gnawing on thee for they bad comming to thy Benefice for thy bad living in the same si inde te eijcit fumus malae conscientiae alas poore man whither shall thou goe wilt thou run away from thy selfe whither soever thou goest thou carryest thy conscience with thee and that will keepe a yelling against thee in domo in foro in mensa in lecto and in all places Wherefore let us all be assured that we are at peace with our conscience that wee have this loving Wife to cheere us up wheresoever wee bee what is our rejoycing sayes Saint Paul save the testimony of a good conscience Let a man be lying on his death bed let some say to him remember man what faire and beautifull houses thou hast what goodly Lordships what lands and possessions what bags of silver and gold remember in what credit honour and reputation thou hast lived on the face of the earth will this comfort him thinke you truely but a little But if his conscience say to him as Hezekiahs did to him remember that thou hast walked before the Lord with an upright heart this will comfort him and make his heart to skip for joy in his belly recta vita esca conscientiae a good life is the meate of the conscience Live well in thy calling this is meate and drinke to thy conscience this shall comfort
come joyfully one to another yet the joy of these meetings may be dashed sundry kind of wayes and though they be never so full of joy yet that and the meetings themselves have an end Let us prepare for that meeting when we shall meete Christ in the ayre and abide with him for ever never to depart any more VERSE 13. THe other part of the conclusion is a salutation sent to the Lady The children of thy elect sister greete thee Here Lorinus to avoid that absurdity that two sisters should have one name insinuates that the elect here maybe cognomen not nomen a surname not her proper name as Josephs surname was Iustus I but there is no surname set downe without the name premised therefore this is a meere shift Her sister is called elect in the same sence that she was because of faith and other graces of the Spirit that were in her as signes of her election Did not her sister send greeting to her as well as her children It may be her children were now with St. Iohn for their further instruction so was not the mother They should have used a more reverent tearme their duty or service to be remembred to their Aunt It is too familiar to send salutations Not onely equalls did salute but inferiors too the reapers of Boaz saluted him but inferiors salute after a more submisse manner though it be not expressed Touching salutations looke the Epistle to Philemon Amen Betweene the former words and Amen Aquinas interserts these Gracia tecum Grace be with thee Then Amen hath indeede something to answer to but those saith Catharinus are not in correctis libris The old translation hath them not Amen here may have reference to the meeting before mentioned Amen So be it God grant it may be so A COMMENTARIE VPON The third Epistle of St. IOHN VERSE 1. THe parts of this Epistle are these 1. An entrance into it verse 1 and 2. 2 The matter conteined in it verse 3. an entrance is made into it by an inscription v. 1. by a precation v. 2. The inscription pointeth out the party writing and the party to whom he writeth the person writing is described as before by his office An Elder a chiefe governour in the Church For a more ample discussing of it the reader is to be referred to the former Epistle verse 1. The person to whom he writeth is set forth by his name and by the speciall love Saint Iohn beares to him Whereof there is first an expression Welbeloved then an explication how hee loveth him in truth His name is Gajus some collect out of the seventh verse that he was a Iew as if he were opposed to the Gentiles that be there mentioned yet not he but they that came from him whom hee entertained are apposed to the Gentiles By his name he should rather be a Romane for Gajus or Cajus is a Romane name G and C are commutable letters To let all conjectures passe there be three of this name in Scripture Gajus of Macedonia Act. 19.29 Gajus of Derbe Act. 20.4 Gajus of Corinth 1 Cor. 1.14 Whom Paul baptized whom he termeth his Hoste the Hoste of the whole Church Rom. 16.23 By all probability this was hee who continued his hospitality to Saint Iohns dayes Christ saith of the woman that powred oyntment upon his head Wheresoever this Gospell shall be preached throughout all the world there shall also this that she hath done be spoken of for a memoriall of her The memoriall of the just shall be blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Origen by dedicating most of his bookes to Ambrose a wealthy Noble man which was his Patron and Hierome by doing the like to Estochium a renowned Virgin and bountiful to good uses continue the remembrance of them to all ages and the fame of Gajus shall last so long as the Epistle of Saint Iohn lasteth this should be a spurre to others to the like This Gajus was deepe in Saint Iohns bookes and in his heart too he calls him his Welbeloved he gave not this title to the Lady to whom he wrote some say to avoyde suspition of familiarity with her being a woman a frivilous excuse for Saint Paul calls Persis and Apphia beloved without any feare of that Others suppose because it was too familiar and did not agree to the dignity of a Lady what needeth all this he gave her a more magnificent title when he stiled her Elect this was a singular comfort and honour too to Gajus that he was beloved of such a worthy man as Saint Iohn The Disciple whom Iesus loved Then he makes an explication of his love whom I love in the truth that is truely and unfeinedly See more 2 Iohn 1. VERSE 2. THe other part of the entrance is a precation or wish where 1. an inculcation or repetition of his beloved that hee might have the greater assurance of it and because there might seeme to be some defect in the former sentence here hee makes a supply of it I wish unto thee 2. An enumeration of the blessings wished prosperitie and health which are illustrated 1. by the priority or eminencie of them above all things 2. by an argument a pari of the like in his soule The vulgar translation renders it I pray which all Popish interpreters follow we will not sticke with them for that praying is a kinde of wishing and wishing is a kinde of praying Above all things in the Greeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all things but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before all things therefore saith Catharinus for mine owne part I would have translated it prae omnibus or ante omnia before or above all things of such importance they be But let us take a view of them 1. that thou mayest prosper 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thou mayest take a good way goe well a metaphor from travellers S. Paul prayeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the same word that here is used that hee may have a prosperous journey to the Romans from thence it is translated to all prosperity whatsoever So Saint Paul useth the word Every first day let every man put aside as God hath prospered him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and wee use to say in our common speech How doth such a one goe on that is how doth he prosper I wish that thou mayest prosper in thy children in thy servants in thy sheepe in thy cattle in thy corne in thy wine in all things appertaining to thee Worldly prosperity is a singular blessing of God which hee often bestoweth on his children It is sayd of the godly man riches and treasures shall be in his house the Lord blessed Abraham wonderfully that hee became great he gave him sheepe and beeves silver and gold Camels and Asses men servants and mayd servants hee had 318 in his house that were