vpon his words doubt of the holy Euangelists credite and doctrine that had been so many hundreds of yeares continued and confirmed by so many glorious Martyrs with their bloud and maintaitained against all the wisdom power of the world before Mahomet was euer heard of And yet what brings he but ignorance and impudency against the eternitie of our blessed Sauiour All he can say is this that if God haue a Son he must needes haue a Wifeto not vnderstanding in his wilful ignorāce that the Lord God hath no more neede of a Wife to the begetting of his Sonne then of hands to the making of this world Yea if comparison might bee made it is easier for God to beget a Sonne like himselfe which is naturall to him then to make the World which dependeth vpon his will and hath no other necessity of being Thus wee are faine to speake according to our poore vnderstanding wee knowe that God hath a Sonne how himselfe knoweth As for the Iewes we will send them to be taught of their owne country-man Iohn the Baptist whome they worthily magnifie as a man sent from God He it is d Ioh. 1. 27 sayth Iohn of our Sauiour that commeth after me which was before me whose shoo-latchet I am not worthy to vnloose But if their owne long continued and greeuous calamity with the destruction of their owne City and Temple in which they trusted be not of force to draw them frō the blasphemous errors of their wicked ancestors surely there is no possibility for any man to perswade them Therefore we will leaue them to the gracious mercie of God to be conuerted to the truth in his good time e Phil. 3. 21. By that mighty power by which he is able to subdue all things vnto himselfe and commend our selues to his fatherly blessing that we may bee strengthened in faith against all the assaults and practises of Satan and his instruments and may neuer doubt of the eternity of our most glorious Sauiour but alwayes ascribe to him with his Father and the holy Spirit one true immortal inuisible and onely wise God all glorie power obedience and thanksgiuing for euer and euer Amen THE SECOND SERmon vpon the first Chapter of IOHN Iohn 1. Verse 1. 2. 1. In the beginning was the VVord and the VVord was with God and the VVord was God 2. The same was in the beginning with God IT is generally thought and I thinke not vntruly that the blasphemous heresies of f Anno 85 Ebion and g Anno 95 Cerinthus who denyed that our Sauiour was God or had anie being before he tooke flesh of the holy Virgine his mother was one especiall occasion of writing this Gospell To root out that impious conceit and to establish the faithful in an assured beliefe of our blessed Sauiours eternall God-head our Euangelist truly and with Apostolicall authority affirmeth that the VVord was in the beginning Neither doth he content himselfe therewithall but for the further instruction of them that belieue hee addes that The VVord was with God and was God yea that The same VVord was in the beginning with GOD. The first point of our Sauiours eternitie was expounded as it pleased God to enhable mee in my former exercise I am now by his gracious assistance to goe forwarde with that which followes The VVord was with God Wherein for the words themselues first wee must enquire what is meant by God then what the Euangelist woulde teach vs when hee sayth The VVord was with God 1. h Orig. in Ioa. lib. 2. Chrysost in Ioan. hom 2 God when the word is properly taken not applied to a creature signifieth either the Diuine nature in all three persons The Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost or only the first of the three The Father Examples of the former are in euerie leafe and page of the Scripture Let vs alleage one or two out of this Gospell i Ioh 4. 24 God is a spirit Not God the Father onely but the Sonne also and the holy Ghost For this spiritualnesse is a propertie of the diuine nature not of anie one person therein else should not the other two bee spirituall The k Ioh. 16. 2. time shall come that whosoeuer killeth you vvill thinke he doth God seruice Surely no man that killeth Christians for beleeuing in CHRIST IESVS can thinke hee doth seruice to the Trinity For our Sauiour CHRIST is one of the three But the idolatrous heathen and the superstitious Iewes make accompt that they performe acceptable seruice to God namely to the diuine nature when they destroy them that acknowledge the three persons to bee one God or deny that there are more Gods then one or worshippe our Sauiour Christ as God Of the later the old Testament affords vs few examples or none the new very many and to make short wheresoeuer God and the Sonne or Iesus Christ are mētioned together there by God the Father is signified l Ioh. 3. 16 So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne God what not the diuine nature For that hath no Son to giue else should the second person haue a Sonne and the third to because both the Sonne and the holie Ghost are the diuine nature or God no lesse then the Father But euery mans owne reason teacheth him that the Sonne is the Fathers Sonne So that by God which gaue his Sonne God the Father is vnderstood The same Father is also meant by the name of God when hee is mentioned with Christ m Rom. 1. 8 I thanke my God sayth the Apostle through IESVS CHRIST euen him whom in the next Verse before he had called God our Father Verse 7 Verse 9 and whose Sonne in the ver following he maketh Iesus Christ God is my witnessewhome I serue with my spirit in the Gospell of his Sonne Of the same kinde are all those places where there is any mention of praying to God in or thorough CHRIST For to him hath our Sauiour taught vs to pray n Luke 11. 2 VVhen yee pray saie Our Father vvhich art in heauen o Ioh. 16. 23 VVhatsoeuer yee aske the Father in my name hee will giue it you Now let vs see in whether of these two significations the word God is to bee taken in this place Surelie not in the former because then The VVord should haue beene with himselfe which is no reasonable speech For who vnderstands not that euery thing which is said to be with an other is diuerse from that with which it is sayde to bee Therefore if the VVord vverewith God the VVord was not God But the Euangelist directly auoucheth that the VVord vvas God What remaines then if by God wee will haue the Diuine nature to bee meant but that wee must confesse there are two Gods The VVord and hee vvith vvhom the VVord vvas But it is certaine in Religion and reason that there is but one God And therefore God
Ver. 22. the Father and God the Sonne are indeede two persons but not two Gods Wee see then that the Father is truely and really a distinct person from the Sonne who though hee be neither made nor created by the Father yet is begotten of him and so hath not his being of himselfe but of his father and therefore in the manner of his being is distinguisht from the Father So is the holy Ghost or spirit from both of them You wil aske me by what he is distinguisht from them I answere Ver. 23. by his proceeding from them First it is manifest he is distinct from the father because he is not of himselfe in regard of his person as the father is Secondly although he agree with the Sonne in that each of them hath his being from a Third namely the Father yet in the particular maner of his being he is distinguisht froÌ„ him For the Sonne is begotten by the Father so hath his being but the holy Ghost is not begotten but proceedeth From whome doth the holy Ghost proceed From the other two persons the Father and the Sonne Of his proceeding froÌ„ the Father our Sauiour m Ioh. 15. 26. speaks distinctly and plainely The comforter shall come whom I will send you from from the Father the spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father Therefore also hee is called the spirit of the Father It is not you that speake n Mat. 10. 2â— saith our Sauiour but the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you Now that he also proceedeth from the Sonne it may thus appeare All things o Ioh. 16. 15. saith our Sauior that the Father hath are mine And speaking to the Father he p Ioh. 17. 10. saitâ— All thine are mine The later of these two Texts may be vnderstood I grant of those things that are as wee speake without God but because it hath vsually beene applyed to proue this point I thought fit to alleadge it You will reply that all the Fathers is not the Sons That personall property whereby he is the Sonne is not the Fathers but the Sonnes that by which the Father is the Father is not the Sonnes but the Fathers Whatsoeuer else the Father hath the Sonne hath also But that the holy Ghost proceeds from the Father is not the personall property of the Father and therefore the Sonne hath that and so with the Father as it were by breathing produceth the holy Ghost who therfore is called the spirit of the Sonne and of Christ q Gal 46. God hath sent the spirit of his Sonne into your hearts If any man r Rom 89. haue not the spirit of Christ the same is not Christes It is not said indeed that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Sonne as it is that he proceedeth from the Father but since he is called the spirit of the Sonne as wel as of the Father wee truely gather that hee proceedeth no lesse from the Sonne then from the Father though the one be exprest and the other be not To conclude then we see what the properties are by which the persons are distinguisht among themselues The Father begetteth neither is begotten nor proceedeth the Sonne is begotten but proceedeth not the holy Ghost neither begetteth nor is begotten but proceedeth All these 3. He that begetteth He that is begotten and He that proceedeth are all one and the same God to bee blessed and praised for euer and euer Amen Therefore are all 3 absolutely equall in all matters appertaining to the nature of God only there are 2 things wherein the Father hath as it were some praeeminence among the persons The one I noted by the way before that He is of himselfe so is neither of the other but both are of him The other is that the father is the first in order in these respects he is sometime called by Diuines the fountaine vâ—rse 25. of the Trinitie And whereas it is said in that Creed ofteÌ„ named that None of the 3 persons is afore or after other the meaning is that none of them is in time afore or after Verse 26. other all being eternall as the next verse sheweth saying that All 3 are coeternall that is alike eternall The Sonne also hath the like preaeminence aboue the holy Ghost For both he is in order before him beeing the second and the holy Ghost is of him as well as of the Father But these praeeminences concerne the persons which are distinct not the diuine nature which is wholly absolutely one as by which these 3 persons are one God To whome be all glory c. THE THIRD SERmon vpon the first Chapter of IOHN Verse 3. By it were all things made and without it was nothing made that was made Verse 4. In it was life c. ALL true knowledge of things ariseth either from an vnderstanding of their inward nature or from a consideration of their workes and actions The former teaching vs the hidden causes is the pefecter but the harder the later shewing vs the secret nature by the manifest effects is the lesse perfect but the more easie That nothing might be wanting whereby any man might be drawne or perswaded to the acknowledging of our Sauiour Christs Godhead our Evangelist hath both laid open the mystery of his nature and set out to all mens viewe the wonderfull glory of his workes Hast thou a desire to fill the depth of thy vnderstanding with the profouÌ„d knowledge of his eternall being Behold sufficient matter of continuall meditation and study In the beginning was the word and the word was with God c. Will not thy capacity or leasure serue thee to sound the depth of these bottomelesse mysteries Behold a shorter and easier meanes of knowledge by which thou maist see the glorious Sonne shining in his workes whome in his naturall brightnesse thy dazled eies cannot looke vpon If thou canst not perfectly comprehend the infinitnesse of his light yet thou shalt certainely discerne that it is infinite And with this desire and hope lette vs come to the expounding of this verse Wherein we are first to vnderstand what it is that our Euangelist here teacheth Secondly to see how it proues our Sauiour Christes diuinity In the former part I will speake of the clauses of this verse seuerally then I wil consider the matter of them ioyntly both together By him were al things made that is to speake plainly He made all things I am not ignorant that Å¿ Erasmus ad hunc locum some meÌ„ cast more doubts then need because the word Him in the greeke may bee referred either to God or to the Word and therfore they thinke it meete and needful so to translate it that it may be certainly and necessarily by the very translation restrained to the Word so that in their opinion we must say t Istud not IpsuÌ„ It not Him For mine owne part I will not striue
can hardly perswade my selfe to thinke so For thought it be true that by flesh and bloud man oftentimes is signified yet the wordes in that sense are neuer so diuided or placed Let vs take the examples which they alleage that so expound these wordes Flesh and bloud hath not revealed these things to thee Flesh and bloud Mat. 16. 17. 1. Cor. 15. 50 cannot inherit the kingdome of God All the rest are like these wherein who doth not easily marke both that Flesh is still set in the first place and Bloud neuer Flesh and Bloud not Bloud and Flesh and also that they are alwaies ioyned together and not seuered the one from the other If our Euangelist had meant to haue spoken of man by that kinde of speech hee woulde haue said which are borne not of flesh and bloud May wee diuide those former places Flesh hath not reuealed Bloud hath not reuealed Flesh caÌ„not inherit Bloud cannot inherit These were marueilous strange kinds of speech not agreeâ—ble to the phrase of the holy Ghost in Scripture Wherefore thoh I acknowledge that interpretatioÌ„ to be true for the generall sense of it yet I see not how I may like of it in the particulars especially seeing the holy Ghost vseth a diuers manner of speech in these 2 later from the former There hee said no more but Not of bloud In the other he denies also the will or desire not of the will of the flesh not of the will of man Let vs then if you please vnderstand by bloud the matter by flesh the man the efficient cause and maker as it were what shall wee say of the will of the flesh and man Surely I will not grratly striue with any man who thinkes it should be taken for concupiscence It is enough that I propounded the reason of my doubt before Giue mee leaue now to deliuer what I conceiue of the matter which is no more but this that I had rather vnderstand by will desire then lust What then shall bee the sense of it This as I take it that the Euangelist giues vs to vnderstand that the Sonnes of whom hee intreates are not borne according to or by any desire of man which might procure or affect or wish that kinde of Son-ship How fitly this will agree with the scope of the place it shall appeare by and by when I haue examined that which remaines All that wee haue said hitherto concerning this birth is to shew whence it is not Not of bloud not of man VVhence is it then Of God God sometimes notes the nature of the God head sometimes some one of the three persons How may wee most fitly expound it in this place What if wee referre it to the Ioh. 3. 5. sanlen in concord Euang. cap. 1. holy Ghost the spirit of whome euery man must bee borne that shall enter into the kingdome of God I doubt mee wee shall hardly finde any one place of Scripture where the worde God signifieth any seuerall person but the Father I deny not that in some place that is said to be don by God which in som other is particularly ascribed to the Sonne or to the holy Ghost but I say that in those places where God is so named the nature is to bee vnderstood nd not any one person The compareing of these places together doth teach vs that the Sonne and the holy Gost are by nature God but it doth not proue that where God is named there either of these two persons is specially signified Neither is it necessary to apply this to God the Father but rather the opposition standeth betwixt the diuine humane nature not of man that is not of man-kind or of the nature of man but of God of the diuine nature which is one and the same in all three persons Thus haue wee the meaning of the Euangelist that the Sonnes hee spake of arise not to that dignity by any power or wisedome of man but meerely and only by the mighty worke of God himselfe who begets them to himselfe by the effectuall working of his spirit and of his owne gratious fauour vouchsafeth to adopt them for his Sonnes I doe the rather make the sense so large because I woulde not willingly omitte any thing which it may bee reasonably presumed the holy Ghost did or might intende For the cleerer vnderstanding whereof let vs cal to minde what was before deliuered at the twelfth verse that there is a double Son-ship in respect of GOD the former is that whereof our LORD disputes with Nicodemus by which wee are borne againe Ioh. 3. 35. c. of the spirit and fitted for the later which is our Adoption by GGD the Father The prerogatiue of being the Sonnes of GOD is our being adopted which is not vouchsaf't vs by GOD at the first while wee are in our corrupt naturall estate but then only bestowed vpon vs when by beleeuing wee are become one with IESVS CHRIST the naturall Sonne of GOD his Father The other Sonne-ship is but a preparing of vs therevnto by which that beleefe is begotten in vs by the powerfull working of the holy Ghost in the ministery of the worde In this sense the thirteenth verse dependes thus vpon the last wordes of the twelfth Saint Iohn had said that they become the Sonnes of GOD which beleeue in the name of the Messiah Hee proceedes to shewe how they attaine to this beleefe By being borne not of bloud c but of God They haue it not by nature in their birth they get it not by any naturall desire or will but they are borne anew of God and haue it by him framed and formed in them The doctrine of both these points is most true the wordes will beare them both they will both stande with the scope of the place and purpose of the Euangelist Chrylost in Io. homil 9. The oph ad hune locum that I am not afraid of doing any wrong to the Text though I make so large an interpretation therof Let vs then in the feare of God handle these things some what particularly but shortly as the time requireth What a prerogatiue it is for men to bee the Sonnes of God wee heard in the last exercise here the Euangelist farder sets foorth the excellency thereof by shewing the basenesse of our naturall birth which for the matter of it is bloud for the making at the best but humane whereas the other is wholly and only from God I will not amplify the former point touching our naturall birth as I might doe but only referre you to the consideration of it by your selues For your better direction wherein I will name two Iob. 10. 9. 10. 11. Ezech. 16. 4. 6. places of Scripture which I commende to your humble and diligent meditation In the former the naturall breeding of man-kind is purposely described in the later his birth is shewed by way of allegory if wee consider the intent of the holy Ghost but
the Euangelist to tell vs that the VVord was with God if hee were nothing else but God in no respect truely and really distinct from him with whom hee is said to haue beene Had it not bene readier and fitter for him to haue added this last clause to the first and to haue left the middlemost out If you doubt where This VVord was who I say was in the beginning he was God who can looke for any better answere For it were a senselesse blasphemie to aske where God was whom all men graunt to bee infinite But that middle clause The VVord was with God troubles the whole sentence darkens the sense yea to say the truth leaues no sense at all if there be no distinction of Persons For as I shewed erewhile no man can either truely say or reasonably conceiue that any thing because of some diuers accidentall respects is with itselfe Our Euangelist Saint Iohn was an Apostle of our Sauiour Christ the Disciple whom Iesus loued the brother of Iames the sonne of Zebede I might adde many other such differences But might I therefore say of him The Disciple whom Iesus loued was with the Euangelist Iohn and that Disciple was Iohn It is one thing to be the Euangelist Iohn another thing to be with the Euangelist Iohn That agrees to none but to Iohn himselfe this may belong to any but to him Therefore howsoeuer these later words God was the VVord might of their own nature admit such an interpretation yet considering the former clause to which they are ioyned it is absurd so to expound them What if I adde herunto that the holy Ghost himselfe seemes to tell vs that the word God is not to be vnderstood in this last clause as it was in the former because it is put here without the Article Surely the Sabellians shall haue nothing to aunswere but that which will confirme the distinction of the Father and of the Sonne as two persons But of this by and by The order of the words in English shewes the sense in Greeke it doth not so but that word which is first in place oftentimes is last in the meaning of the writer or speaker God was the VVord saith our Euangelist Yet a Basil homil in haec verba Hilar de Trinit lib. 7. the first word God in sense followes the last as if he should haue said The VVord was God How shall that appeare since the wordes will beare aswell the one as the other It shall appeare by these reasons First the question was not of God whether he were before the beginning of the world or no for that was neither denied nor doubted of by Christians or Heretickes But the eternall Beeing of our Sauiour Christ and his Godhead were impugned by Cerinthus and Ebion which gaue our Euangelist some occasion of writing this Gospell It was fit therefore that hee should teach the Church and confound the Heretickes by saying that The VVord was God Secondly we haue direction for the expounding of this clause from both the former wherein The VVord is still the first part of the sentence and looke what is affirmed it is affirmed of the VVord The VVord was in the beginning The VVord was with God In like manner the Euangelist continuing his discourse must needs bee vnderstood to say The VVord was God which indeede was the very thing hee meant to auouch of him This is farder confirmed by that which followes All things were made by it and without it was made noâ—hing Verse 3. 4 that was made In it was life and so foorth Do you not perceiue that all these particulars here spoken are spoken of the word If then both the clauses that goe before and the sentences that follow after belong to the word and not to God what shew of reason is there to take that one peece out of the middest of the rest and apply it to God contrary to the whole course of the matter and intent of the writer I wil not adde farder as I might that not only this beginning of the Gospell but the whole frame of it and the maine scope of it is to teach vs b Iohn 20. 31 That Iesus is the Christ the Sonne of God If any man be so peruerse as that all which hitherto hath bin said will not satisfie him yet let him be perswaded by the Euangelist himself who leauing out the Article before c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and putting it before the Word leades vs to begin at the end for the sense of that hee writes This cannot bee exprest in English nor will be conceiued by them that haue no skill in the originall Greeke but in the text it selfe the difference is very manifest Wee haue then the true meaning of the holy Ghost in these words The VVord was God He that was in the beginning and was with God was also himselfe God Here ariseth a doubt why the Euangelist addeth this clause seeing the Godhead of our Sauiour might be certainly and necessarily concluded out of the two former branches as it hath manifestly appeared in the opening of them He that had a being when as yet there was no creature and was with God when there was nothing that was not God could not possibly be any other then God Why then is it added that The VVord was God Surely as I take it to preuent that obiection which might arise in the conceit of some If he were with God it may seeme that he was not God To which the Euangelist thus answeres in effect Though he were with God in respect of his person yet in regard of his nature hee himselfe was God This I graunt was implied in the former but in a matter of so great moment it pleased the holy spirit of God to haue a gratious regard of our weakenesse and to speake so as the trueâ—l might bee euident to all men and so high a mysterie of Religion haue a cleare and sound demonstration The point then which is here deliuered is this Iesus Christ the promised Messiâ—h is God And because the matter is of especiall importance and no place so fit as this for the handling of it I thinke it best to follow it somewhat largely the rather because I meane to doe it now once for all but as occasion shall be offred for the cleering of some textes here and there in this Gospell The first proofe that our Sauiour Christ is God may be taken from those places of Scripture where the names that are proper to the true only God are giuen to Iesus Christ For it is out of questioÌ„ that howsoeuer some of those titles are now and then ascribed to men with some addition or in some respect yet no creature is absolutely called God Lord the most high or by any other such name Of all these the most common for ordinary vse is God which we find ofteÌ„ in euery leafe of the Scripture where the true God Iehouah is spoken
ignoraunce and insufficiency of all men to comprehend that secret mysterie First that wee may knowe what to looke for afterwarde the Prophets foretell vs how the matter would fall out Lord sayeth Isay who hath beleeued our report or to whome is the Arme of the Lorde reuealed Isay 53. 1. And in another place he brings in our Sauiour himselfe complaying of the ill successe of his ministery I haue laboured in vaine I haue spent my strength in vaine 494. and for nothing Yea the builders the great learned men among the Iewes refused the headstone of the corner saith Psal 118. 22. another Prophet As it was prohesied so it came to passe Let themselues giue euidence When the Messiah was come and had prooued his calling by many admirable and glorious miracles and had offred them saluation with all kindness and authoritie what insued Heare them speaking in a Councill Doth any of the Rulers or the Pharises beleeue in him Some of the Ioh. 7. 48. common sort flockt after him but the great men and Rabbins regarded him not or if any of them had any better conceite of him then the rest hee durst not be knowne of it but as it appeared by Nicodemus was 3. 1. 2. glad to steale into his company in the darke night Nay it was not enoughe for them to reiect him but they persecuted him and all that fauoured him accounting 7. 49. 9. 34. 12. 10. 11. 19. 12. of them as of men accrsed casting them out of their Synagogues seeking to make them away and accusing them as enemies to Caesar as they beganne to charge Pilat himselfe for speaking in his behalfe Neither stayed their malice here but proceeded without ende or rest till they had murdered the Lorde of life Aâ—â— 3 14. 15. with all the disgrace that possibly they could do him I doe now but point at these thinges which if it please God shall hereafter bee handled at large This may suffice especially the time being past and occasion of the like discourse offring it selfe often times in this Gospell to shewe with what obstinate blindnesse our Sauiour was withstood and reiected by the Iewes and to teach vs what intertainement wee are like to giue him if wee bee not other wise taught and inclined by his holy spirit To whome with the Father and the Sonne one God bee all glorie c THE SIXT SERmon vpon the first Chapter of IOHN Verse 6. 7. 8. There was a man sent from God whose name was Iohn c. IF there were as much vnderstanding and iudgement in men to conceiue and discerne matters of religion and saluation as euery one of vs would bee thought to haue it were inough for vs to haue the doctrine of euerlasting life by any meanes whatsoeuer propounded vnto vs. For no sooner should any point thereof bee deliuered but wee should be readie to acknowledge and embrace it But alas wee are wonderfully deceiued in this conceit of our naturall capacity Which is so slowe and dull in things of this nature that we can neither find them out of our selues by any discourse of reason nor giue aslent to the truth of them when they are reuealed and manifested by especiall order from God himselfe For proofe of that I say whither should I appeale rather then ro euery mans experience touching the former points both in himselfe and in the whole nation of the Iewes Which of vs would euer haue thought of any one of those mysteries if hee had not read or heard of them extraordinarily Now they are discouered vnto vs where is there any man to bee found that by any naturall skill or help of learning can discerne and yeeld to them as ture and certaine The reasons of this impossibilitie to beleeue shall be shewed if it please God hereafter for the present I doe but giue a touch that wee may all consider of it at better leasure The darknesse did not Ioh. 1. 5. comprehend the light when it shone most brightly Our Sauiour taught them with authoritie not like the Scribes Mat. 7. 29. Pharises Yet did they not regard his doctrine Hee wrought many admirable miracles among them Yet would they not acknowledge that hee came from God At the least they should haue respected the testimonie of Iohn a man of such account worth in their owne iudgement But all was one with them and nothing of force sufficient to bring them to an acknowledgement of the light What remedy then but to leaue them in their blindnes and in theirs to see our owne that we may be so much the more carefull to heed and learne what the Euangelist doth teach vs in this Gospell Where hauing in the fiue former verses described the Messiah of whom hee writes by his diuine nature and his office of mediation hee proceeds to second that hee hath deliuered with the testimonie of Iohn and there vpon takes occasion to inlarge some of the points that before hee had propounded and to amplifie the benifits wee receiue by our Sauiour more fully and plainely In the former part concerning the witnesse of Iohn first wee are to consider the partie as hee is described to vs in the three verses I read Secondly to waigh his testimony which is implyed rather then exprest in the two later Hee came to beare witnesse of the light The description is partly of his person verse 6 partly of his office ver 7. 8. To the knowledge of his person there belong these two thinges his nature and his name By nature hee was a man but yet not after the ordinarie course of mankinde but after an extraordinary sort by a special work of God who sent him as well in reguard of his person as of his office Which office of his is first plainely declared verse 7 then some what amplified verse 7. 8. The declaration is general He came for a witnesse Particular To beare witnesse of the light In the description of the person touching his nature I note two points that He was a man that He was sent from God In the former wee are to examine the wordes whether the former of the two was imply any especial matter or no why the Euangelist mentions that He was a man Then must wee say somewhat of the sense intended by Saint Iohn For the later point of his being sent we will in quire who sent him God the diuine nature or some one of the persons How he was sent by an extraordinarie conception by an especiall appointment either by some vision or by reuelation Touching his name wee are to learne what the signification of it is why the Euangelist doth mention it Other reasons whereby wee proue any matter in question haue their force and power to argue such as it is more or lesse from their owne nature onely a Testimonie fetcheth all the waight it hath from the credite or authoritie of him that giues it So that
plainely and truly if wee respect the matter it selfe Reade them both at your leasure and I make no doubt but you will bee ashamed to thinke that beeing so meanely bred and brought foorth I speake as fauourably as I can wee should bee so strangely proud and insolent as for the most part wee are VVeake and base is our naturall beginning mighty and glorious is our spirituall adoption By that wee are borne the Sonnes of men by this wee are chosen the Sonnes of God In our first condition wee are brought foorth to all kinde of misery in our second estate wee are aduaunced to true felicity The one casts vs naked and forlorne vpon the bare earth the other lifts vs vp from earth to heauen That brings vs out of prison to punishment this leades vs from paine to pleasure with our conception begins our mortality our adoption giues vs entrance into immortality And doe we for all this stand doating vpon our naturall estate Are wee proud of that of which wee may rather bee ashamed What art thou that bearest thy selfe so high A Gentleman A Nobleman A Prince Heyre apparant to the Empire of the whole earth Bee it so yet was thy breeding and bearing no other then Iob and Ezechiell describe The poorest and basest wretche that goeth on the ground had the same manner of beginning and being Remember thy selfe as thy death shall bee like his dust to dust so was thy birth like to his bloud of bloud flesh of flesh Thou art the sonne of an Emperor Yet of a man Be not deceiued thy nature is no better then his though thy eares and sorrowes may proue more and greater A gentleman a nobleman a King are not names of diuers natures but of diuers troubles Adoption adoption is that which makes difference betwixt Humane and Diuine Caine and Abell were both Adams sonnes Ismaell and Isaac Abrahams All foure were borne a-like of bloud of the will of the flesh of the will of man But Isaac and Abell were adopted the sonnes of GOD Caine and Ismaell were neuer any more but the sonnes of men Looke how much God is more excellent then man so much more glorious is it to bee the sonne of God then of man Looke how much the spirit exceedes the flesh so much better is it to bee borne of the spirit then of the flesh If thou bee the adopted sonne of God by grace it skils not whose sonne thou art by nature Beleeue in Christ and thou hast the prerogatiue to bee the sonne of GOD. Neuer tell mee how meane and poore thy parents were Neuer boast how rich and noble they were Bloud and flesh man must hinder either all or none at all For in all these all are equall How meane soeuer thy bloud be it is bloud How noble soeuer it bee it is but bloud Thy nobilitie helpes not thy basenesse hinders not thy adoption Not of bloud not of flesh not of man but of God God needes no such time and meanes for adoption as thy naturall parents neede for procreation There is no stay but in thy selfe Thou shalt no sooner beleeue in the name of Christ but presently God will accept thee for his sonne Is so excellent an estate so easilie to be come by and doo wee refuse or delay to vse the meanes Surely there needes no other proofe that our second birth of regeneration is not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God then that so fewe are so borne againe I am come now to the last poynt of this Text and exercise which I will runne ouer verie briefely The prerogatiue to bee the sonnes of God belonges to them onely that receiue our Sauiour Christ by beleeuing in him Who are they that doe so receiue him They that are borne of GOD. What is it to bee borne of GOD To haue our vnderstanding inlightned with the knowledge of the Gospell our hearts inclined to embrace it so that wee wholly renounce our selues all trust in our owne righteousnesse all good opinion thereof and rest onely vpon Iesus Christ to bee reconciled to GOD by him This estate as our Euangelist teacheth vs in this place is not attained to by any power or desire of man but by the mighty working of GOD Psal 51. 10. who creates as the Prophet sayeth new hearts in vs changing stone into flesh taking our stonie hearts Ezech. 11. 19. Cap. 36. 26. out of our bodies and giuing vs hearts of flesh For the naturall man take him at the best with all the helpes that nature learning and education canne afforde is notwithstanding all these vnable to acknowledge or like of the meanes which God in his owne wisedome hath appointed for our saluation The holy Ghost giues vs the reason of it For sayeth hee by the penne of Saint Paul they are foolishnesse vnto 1. Cor. 2. 14. him and cannot bee discerned but by the spirit which no man can haue but by a second birth from GOD. I cannot stand to inlarge this point by many proofes neither is it greatly needfull because it hath beene done already in my former exercises and shall be done hereafter if it please God as occasion shall be offered Yet I may not at any hand forget because it especially concernes the glory of God the ende of all true religion to call to your remembrance what hath formerly beene deliuered touching the worke of God in bringing men to beleeue in Christ The summe of it is this that it is God which makes vs both able and willing to beleeue not waiting for the choyse of our freewill which like a free horse runnes headlong to infidelitie but gratiously and powerfully inclining vs to beleeue Doost thou then beleeue in Christ to saluation whereas many other that haue had the same worde outwardly by the ministerie of men and the same grace inwardly by the motion of the spirit offered to them continue in vnbeleefe Take heede thou doe not imagine that this difference proceeded from thy selfe That they doe not beleeue it is by their owne fault That thou doest beleeue it is by not by thine owne vertue Noe sayest thou I knowe that and confesse it I stood in need of the grace of GOD as well as other men I was not able to bee saued without it nor to procure it GOD of his owne goodnesse found out the meanes prouided them gaue mee knowledge of them inabled mee to embrace them All this I willingly ascribe to God Is this all thou giuest him many men at the least as thou perswadest thy selfe haue been equall to thee in all these fauours from God who yet neuer attained to beleefe in Christ I would faine knowe of thee how this difference grewe that thou beleeuest and they doe not They would not and I would Thou sayest well For indeede noe man euer beleeues but willingly Yet this doth not satisfie my doubt I demaund farther how came it to passe that thou wouldest and they would not Doe not aunswere mee Because I would For if that bee all thou canst say thou doest rather condemne thy folly then commend thy obedience in yeelding I sawe it was the onely course I coulde take for my saluation Did not those other which beleeue not see that too as well as thou Else the difference proceeded not from the choyse of thy will but from the cleerenesse of thy iudgement I graunt they sawe as much as I but they did not like it as well as I. Wee are neuer a whit the neerer for all this conference I aske still howe thou camest to haue a better liking of it then they had I vsed the freedome of my will better then they did I perceiue then when all comes to all the difference must arise from free well But our Euangelist sayeth Not of the will of man Otherwise there Rom. 3. 27. were verie iust and great cause in men of boasting and small glorie or thankes due to God euerie man being the principall cause of his owne saluation For as I haue shewed heeretofore thus might anie man that beleeues reason with GOD Why should I bee challenged of vnthankefulnesse
long continued negligence To which purpose I haue especially made choice of this piece of Scripture If any man pretende the hardnesse of the matter what is more easie or more pleasant then a story If any man despise the plainenesse of it as a thing not worth his labour because a storie what is more strange or mysticall then such a Storie The Gospell is the easiest part of the Newe Testament But the Gospell of Saint Iohn is the hardest part of all the Euangelists writings yea I dare boldelie saie it because I am sure I shall speake it truely there is no one part of all the Scripture setting allegories and prophecies not fulfilled apart that conteines matters more needefull or more hard to be knowen then this present Gospell or message of ioyfull tydings brought to vs by the holy Euangelist the beloued Disciple of our Sauiour Christ 2. Of whome that I may speake a little for the farder inciting of vs to hearken diligently to that hee writes first I will entreat of his person then of his writing That which k 2. Pet. 1. 20. 21 the Apostle Peter sayth of the olde Testament that no prophecie of the Scripture is of any priuate interpretation but that holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost is also to bee applied to the writings of the newe Testament which proceeded from the same spirit of God by the like inspiring and directing as it is confessed by all both Protestants and Papists that make any profession of Christian Religion For the Apostles of our Sauiour Christ were the Penners of all these books saue l The Gospells of S Marke and S. Luke and the Acts. three and m Ioh. 16. 13 to them the holy Ghost was both promised by him to leade them into all truth and n Act. 2. 3. 4 accordingly sent so that there can be no question but the new Testament as well as the olde is the certaine truth of God equall in authority superior in plainnesse knowledge of particulars belonging to euerlasting saluation But you wil demand perhaps how we may be assured that the Apostles were the immediate Authors of these books First we haue the same proof of the new Testament that wee haue of the Olde the ioynt consent of Christians in all ages from time to time Secondly who seeth not the admirable prouidence of God in preseruing these bookes in such glorious reputation maugre the power malice of the mighty ones of this world their great master Satan Thirdly who can be so shamlesse as to deny or suspect the credit of those auncient Christians who liuing in the Apostles times might did certainely knowe either by o Gal. 6. 11 Col. 4. 18. 2. Thes 3. 17 1. Cor 16. 21 the hand or by some marks which the Apostles vsed as it were signing and sealing or by enquirie of the Apostles themselues that those bookes were indeed of their writing From them this knowledge came to their next successors and successiuely to vs that now liue by such a generall consent of so many thousands in all ages that it were more then impudencie to make question of the matter howsoeuer our Papists in these dayes to make all men depende on them that they may shew themselues to be Antichristian will haue the assurance of this point as of all other matters of faith to be fetcht from them that now liue from the authority of the Church of Rome that now is I may say the like of those other 3. Bookes the Gospels of Mark and Luke and the Acts of the Apostles which were acknowledged by the first Christians to thaue been endited by the spirit of God and as p August prolog in Ioan. it is recorded by some to haue beene approued for such by the Apostle S. Iohn who doubtlesse liuing till after the decease of all them that are saide and belieued to be the writers of these and the other books of the new Testament would haue disclaim'd the authority of thē informed the Church against them if he had not certainly knowen that they were al the holy Ghosts owne enditing But it is not my purpose nor is it necessarie to that I haue in hand to dispute this question onely it seemed to me not amisse to speake thus much in this entrance as it were by the way to preuent such obiections as might perhaps disquiet the mindes of some not so thoroughly setled For whose better satisfaction I will add that which is of most importance namely the matter conteined in these books which is apparantly such for the substance of it as the heart and head of man were neuer able to deuise yea such witnesse q 1. Cor. 2. 9. 10 the holy Apostle Saint Paul as neither ey hath seene eare hath heard nor euer came into any mans heart But God hath reueiled it to vs by his Spirit which searcheth all things yea the deepe things of God This strangenesse of the matter is seconded in them that beleeue to saluation by an vnspeakeaioy and comfort in their soules conceiued vpon a feeling of the pardon of their sins and a certaine hope of euerlasting happinesse in the life to come In the last place comes the testimony of the spirit of God which as it were the broade seale makes vp the assurance both of the matter and the bookes in which it is comprised If you aske me how I can discern the witnesse of the Spirit from the illusion of Satan and the imagination of mine owne brain giue me leaue also to demand a like question of you How could the Prophets whose ministery it pleased the holy Ghost to vse from time to time make a difference betwixt the motions of the Lord himselfe and the suggestions you mention were they any more able to express this power of discerning then the faithfull now are I grant they could make proofe of their calling and the reuelations they had by a miraculous foretelling of things to come But neither were those prophesies any certaine proofes till the euent confirmed the truth of them and my question remaines still vnanswered How they could discerne that the things which they prophecied of were reuealed to them by God and not suggested by any deceitfull working of the diuel Beare with mee I beseech you if I a little forget my selfe in a matter of such importance and difficulty wherein I would be yet more bolde with your patience but that I trust and purpose to handle this point more at large vpon some iuster occasion hereafter The conclusion is that no reasonable man much more that no Christian may without great inciuility or weakenesse of faith make any question of the truth of these books which haue continued in estimation and authority by the space of so many hundred years in despight of so many so learned and so mighty enemies whereas the doctrine it self by which through the power of God it hath and doth
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
verse he is said to be the light of men In the 7. verse that Iohn came to beare witnesse of the light of whom did Iohn beare witness but of the Messiah Iesus Christ Iohn seeth Iesus Verse 29. comming to him and saith Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world And a little after he Verse 33. professeth that it was reuealed to him by God which sent him to baptise that hee vpon whom Iohn should see the spirit come downe and tarry still on him was he which baptiseth with the holy Ghost Now vpon Iesus Verse 34. did Iohn see the holy Ghost light and settle and thereupon confidently affirmeth that he is the Son of God I might add hereunto that he is the Word by beliefe in whom we haue the prerogatiue to bee the Sons of God Verse 12. And who knows not that he is Christ l Gal. 3. 26. we are al the Sons of God by faith in Christ Iesus That m Ioh. 1. 14 the word which was made flesh dwelt among vs was no other but Iesus of whom Iohn bare witnes But what should I stand heaping vp needless proofes in a matter that is out of question The conclusion of the first point is this that the Word of which our Euangelist speaketh is Iesus Christ It followeth that we should inquire how this name The word belongeth to our Sauiour In which inquiry if I should but euen recite the conceits and subtilties of diuers writers I should spend all the rest of this hower in that only and weary my selfe and you to smal purpose Therfore to make short I will commend to your farder meditation some few reasons of this name which to me seeme the most likely These reasons coÌ„cern our Sauior eitheras he is the Son of God or as he is the mediator betwixt God man For the former the n Nazian lib. 2â— de filio Athana sius Hilarius Ambrosius Augustinus Cyrillus c. ancient later Diuines that haue labored to shadow out that vnspeakable mysterie of the holy Trinitie haue thought it fit to giue vs a little glimse of this dazling light by comparing God the Father to our vnderstanding God the Sonne to that which inwardly our vnderstanding conceiueth I will endeauour to speake as plaine as possibly I can to the capacitie of the simplest When a man inwardly discourseth and reasoneth with himselfe it is sure and cuident that he frameth in his mind a certaine kind of speech or sentence and as it were a word without sound which is called the conception of the mind If he desire to communicate this conceit of his to other men hee formeth some outward speech and words either vttering them with his mouth or writing them with his pen. Thus doth he delâ—uer out a Copie of that the Originall wherof he reserueth still within where it was first bred Let vs according to the weakenes of humane capacity apply this to the vnsearchable mystery of the Sonne of God Confider them reuâ—rently and humbly that God being from all eternitie infinite in wisedome hath alwayes had some conception in him as a man hath when he discourseth in his vnderstanding This conception in man though it remaine in the soule yet is not of the substance of the soule But in God that is most simple and without all manner of composition there can bee nothing that is not of his Diuine substance This conception of God is the second person in Trinitie the Sonne of God Would any know why the like conception in man is not the Sonne of man Let him remember that the Sonne must be of the same nature with the Father as our conception is not without vnderstanding but Gods is of necessitie because as I said ere while there can bee no composition I adde nor imperfection in the diuine Nature The first reason then why the Sonne of God is named the Word is this that he is begotten by his father in such manner as our inwarde word or conception is framed in vs. These things I confesse seeme to mee somewhat curious and subtill that I can hardly perswade my selfe they were intended by the Euangelist neither would I haue aduentured to propound them to you but for reuerence of o Dionys Roma apud Athanas Athanas de de finit Euseb de praepar Euang. lib. 7. cap. 4. Hilar lib 2. de Trinitate c. very many learned Diuines who from time to time haue continued this exposition But there is more likelihood that the holy Euangelist in giuing our Sauiour this name had respect to his mediatorship p Origen lib. 1. in Ioan Clem. Epiphan haer 73 Chrysost hom 2. in Ioan. Euthymius ad hunc locum either because it is he that reuealeth the knowledge of the father vnto vs or for that he was promised to be the Messiah That the former is a part of our Sauiour Christs office and hath bene performed by him from time to time it hath bin held time out of mind and may be prooued for these later times out of the Scripture Who almost is ignorant that q Tertul. contr Iudae cap. 9. the ancient writers were of opinion and the later haue receiued it as it were from hand to hand that the second person in Trinitie appeared oftentimes to the Fathers in the olde Testament euen as often as he that appeared is specified by the holy Ghost to be Iehouah I shall not need to quote the seuerall places Begin at Gen. 12. 7. and so goe forward and where you find that the Lord appeared to Abraham Lot Isaac Iacob or any other of the Fathers in the old Testament there make account you see heare the Sonne of God declaring some part of his fathers will to them to whom he speaketh If wee come to the New Testament whom haue wee there preaching but the Sonne of God r Heb. 1. 1. At sundry times and in diuers manners God spake in the old time to the Fathers by the Prophets in the last dayes he hath spoken to vs by his Son whom also he hath commanded vs to heare Å¿ Mat. 3. 17 This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him And indeed whom else should wee heare since t Ioh. 1. 18 No man hath seene God at any time but the onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father hee hath declared him Fitly then may hee bee called the VVord who is the Embassador of God his Father to make his will knowen to mankind by word of mouth in his owne person and by the ministery of them whom it pleaseth him to employ to that purpose To make this opinion the more likely u Ioan. Maldon ad hunc locum a popish Interpreter in his Commentarie vpon this place confidently affirmeth that the Chalde Paraphrast translates Iehouah by this word Memar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a word as
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
of reason could neuer be attained to without reuelation from God But this is not the armour a Christian trusts to Thy bulwark must bee the shield of faith borne vp and held out by some strong rest of holy scripture The word was God Saith our Euangelist By it were all things made Let Satan cast his fiery and poysonous darts against vs This shield quencheth the fury and killeth the strength of their fire and poyson As for his distinctions and respects wherby he sweats and tyres himselfe to proue that our Sauiour is but God by fauour not by nature because he is imploied in such an office not because he is eternally begotten of God his father they are sparkles that keepe a cracking with more feare then hurt and venom that raiseth a few Pimples in the outer skin with more trouble then danger Keepe thee close vnder the shield of faith and though Satan make thee stagger yet hee shall neuer ouerthrow thee Being then thus armed at all points with an assured perswasion of our Sauiour Christs diuine nature and hauing beaten the enemy that charged vs with such force and fury let vs peaceably and carefully consider with our selues what vse wee may haue of that fort which wee now possesse in safety Is this Sauiour of ours God eternal infinite in wisedome in power in holinesse in all worth and perfection Surely then may wee truely and bodly say that p Psal 89. 19. God hath layed help vpon one that is mighty more mighty to rescue his people out of the hands of sinne and Satan then Dauid was to free the people of Israell from the Philistines and all other that oppressed them Are they mighty that are against vs Hee that is with vs is more mighty Doe you not heare the Apostle as it were defying all the world in confidence of this assistance r If God saith he be on our Rom. 8. 31. side who can be against vs What though hee speakes of God the Father Is not the Sonne our Sauiour the same God of the same power Me thinkes I am encouraged by this meditation to dare Satan and to bid him battaile to his face Let him not spare to magnify the iustice of God to amplifie the grieuousnesse of my sinne to lay out to the vttermost the furiousnesse of Gods displeasure to set before me the weakenesse of my estate to recken vp as it were on his fingers the huge summes of my debt what is all this If Iesus Christ be God Though the iustice of God will not bee corrupted by feare pity bribery or flattery yet it will bee satisfied If the wrath of God be infinite against my sinne an infinite sacrifice may appease it I haue nothing to pay But he that is God is all-sufficient Å¿ Mic. 67. Will not the Lord bee pleased with thousands os Rams nor with ten thousand riuers of oyle t Heb. 10. 4. â—â— 12. Is it vnpossible that the bloud of Buls and Goates should take away sinne Yet u Act. 20. 28. hath Iesus Christ who is God by his owne blood entred once into the holy place and obtained eternall redemption for vs. God x saith the Apostle hath purchased the Church with his owne blood What though y Mâ—c 6. 7. the Lord will not accept my first borne for my transgression Will he also refuse the sacrifice of his owne first begotten yea * Ioh. 1. 18. of his onely begotten which is in his bosome No no he hath proclaimed him from heauen a Mat. 3. 17. to be his sonne that beloued one in whom he is well pleased Now the sufficiency of this worthy sacrifice ariseth not from the bloud of man though it be more excellent then that of buls or goates but froÌ„ the inualuable worth of the person whose blood is sacrifice Could the bloud of Isaac of Abell or of Adam while he was innocent and holy haue beene a sufficient ransome for sinne committed against the infinite maiestie of God Looke how much it lacks of infinitenesse in valew so much it lacks also of worth to make satisfaction For no finit sum can discharge an infinit debt But as God himselfe so sin against God is infinit Multiply any finit nuÌ„ ber though neuer so great that which proceeds of it wil be but finit And whatsoeuer is finite imagine it as great as you can in number or measure is no neerer infinitnes then the least point or fraction that can bee conceiued For there is no kinde of proportion betwixt them else should finit infinit be al one Because that which hath any part of it finit being compouÌ„ded of finite parts put together must of necessity it selfe be vnderstood to bee finite For the parts make the whole and that taketh it nature from these Now who knows not that the holinesse and nature of man is finit Such therfore would the whole lumpe bee if all that is or can bee in al men were gathered together into one How then can a sacrifice which is but finite make due satisfaction for sin that is infinite And that which I speake of men I would haue vnderstood also of all creatures whatsoeuer Angels or other For since their nature and worth is finit it is as farre from infinitenesse be what it will in comparison of the valew of other finite things as nothing is from all that which is from that which is not There is then nothing at all left wherein wee may haue any trust or hope of hauing satisfaction made to God for vs but onely the inualuable sacrifice of our Sauiour Iesus Christ b Heb. 10. 14 VVho with one offering hath consecrated for euer them that are sanctified c Ioh. 1. 29. Behold saith he that was sent to shew him the lambe of God that taketh awaie the sinnes of the world But whence hath our blessed Sauiour this inestimable valew I know not saith one neither will I trouble my head about it I beleeue his sacrifice was sufficient and that serues my turne without any further adoe Oh my brethren let vs not be so vnkind to our blessed sauiour so vnthankfull to God the father so contemptuous against the holy ghost so retchlesse of our owne saluation Is it not monstrous vnkindnesse to haue so incompatable a fauour done thee and not to labour to know that which is most honorable to him that did it How shalt thou worthily lift vp thy heart to praise and magnifie the Father that sent his sonne for thy redemption if thou neglect to vnderstand how glorious he was whom hee sent At the least despise not the wisedome and prouidence of the holy spirit as if hee had troubled himselfe in vain with setting his Secretaries on worke to pen the particulars of thy saluation for thy full satisfaction and comfort Well let all this goe If thou beest not ashamed of so vnreasonable vnkindnesse vnthankfulnesse contemptuousnesse yet bee afraid least thou lose that which thou thinkest
much and indeed too much for this sottish heresie It is also gathered from hence by some that the word is coeternall or equal to the Father in eternity A doctrin very true needfull to be knowne but such as was signified before when it was said that The VVord was in the beginning that it was with God Neither doth the beginning in this or the former clause note eternity but the time when all things began to be created Wherfore to shut vp the interpretation of this verse with shewing what I conceiâ—e to be intended in it by the holy ghost I am perswaded that the purpose of the Evangelist was to repeate that which in the former verse he had deliuered For if he had meaÌ„t to add a fourth point of the like kind to the other 3 in all liklyhood he would haue continued the same manner of writing by coupling this to that which went before and haue said And this was in the beginning with God If any man obiect that he doth not so in that which followeth he is already answered that in the next words the Evangelist comes to a new kinde of argument wherby he proues that which before hee had avoucht namely that the word was in the beginning was God At the least he describes the Word by outward effects towards the creatures not by his owne nature or properties Neither is this a bare repetition but a plainer instruction for the simplest that they may â—ssure theÌ„selues that the Word was in the beginning with God I graunt so much was implied before but not exprest to euery mans capacity Here the Evangelist speaketh so that all may vnderstaÌ„d him giues directioÌ„ for the interpreting of that clause The VVord was with God When was the Word with God In the beginning When as yet there was neither time nor place euen then had the Word his being with God I would gladly adde to all this that which is obseru'd by l Toletus in Ioâ—n cap. 1. Annot. 11. some as I perswade my selfe not without great likelihood that the Euangelist by his repetition would farther giue vs to vnderstand that The VVord not only was in the beginning but was then with God a worker in the creation of all things The ground of this interpretation is taken from that place in m Pro. 8. 22. the Prouerbs where this same Word is described by the name of wisdom There first his eternal Being is described Verse 30 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his waie I was before his works of old I was set-vp from euerlasting c. This description is continued to the end of ver 26. In the 27. the holy Ghost proceeds to shew vs that the same wisdome was with God as a nourisher when hee prepared the heauens when he set the compasse vpon the deep c. Yea it may be somewhat more particularly applyed Salomon sayth when he prepared the heauens I was there To that answereth this of our Euangelist This was in the beginning with God His nourishing as some expound it his creating or ordering of all things the holy Ghost heere expresseth at large in the words following By him were al things made The conference of these two places seemes to warrant this exposition as we haue seene I wil not striue much about it so wee apply this repetition to the strengthening of our fayth Concerning our Sauiour Christs eternall God-head doubtlesse we attaine to the principall thing intended by the holy Ghost And of that point what Christian can doubt though he would neuer so faine Dost thou not perceiue that the holie Euangelist deliuers it with aduise and deliberation It is not a matter that hee hits vpon but a point chosen by him to begin his Gospell withal It slips not from him at vnawares but is repeated vpon good aduisement Certainly this doubling of the point makes it manifest that the holy ghost would haue vs view and consider it throughly on al sides It is neither of small importance that it need not to be learned nor easie to be beleeued that it need not to be taught but once Wherefore is it propounded and repeated but that it might be vnderstood and remembred Vnderstood that no hereticks deceiue vs remembred that our hearts faynt not Hee that is God Almighty hath redeemed vs who shall bee able to hold vs Captiues Let vs not be afraid to defye sin hel death and the deuil himselfe n Rom. 8. 31. God is on our side who can be against vs Hauing thus expounded these two verses and finding in them some poynts which concerne the admirarable Doctrin of the most glorious and holy Trinity so many things also beeing spoken euery where in this gospel of the Father the Son and the holy Spirit I haue thought it necessarie both sor your instruction and the discharge of my dutie to bestow the rest of this hower in opening that blessed mystery Wherein according to the example of our Euangelist the whole course of the scripture I will content my selfe with the Euidence of the word without the curiosity of schoole diuinity It shall be sufficient for vs vnderstand that the scripture affirmeth that there is one God and three persons though we can see no reason how it can be so And farder in shewing that the three persons are indeed distinct one from another and not diuers respects of one and the same I will not stand vpon their nature in themselues so much as vpon those effects which beeing ascrib'd to them in the Scripture cannot as in shall appeare bee performed by anie one person Our Euangelist deliuers the point of our Sauiours diuine nature in a few words here in the beginning of the Gospell Hee proues it at large by many wonderfull works of his through the whole course of his writing This shal be my example and warrant Yet I would not haue any man think that I either condemne their paines and care who haue laboured to explaine these mysteries by the light of reason or affirme that the points themselues cannot stand with reason They are indeed aboue reason but yet not against reason As the light of nature cannot discerne them so it cannot disproue theÌ„ And the chiefe end of them that endeuoured to discusse these maters in some sort by reason was rather to stop their mouths that would not beleeue theÌ„ to inforce theÌ„ to beleeue Now this course in this place and auditorie I trust is needlesse I am sure with the greatest part it would be bootlesse For how many or rather how few are there heere present that are able to examine or conceiue the subtill arguments that haue been deuised and vsed in these questions Neither are wee to settle our faith by the waight of humane reason but to ground it vpon diuine authority Now to the matter Wherein that I may proceede the more orderly and be the more easily vnderstood First I will speake of the vnity of
about a matter of so small importance only I see no necessity of any such curiosity in translating For seeing it is very apparant that the Evangelist intendeth to describe our Sauiour Christ of whome the whole Gospell doth intreate and that al the other verses and clauses of verses are applyed therevnto he must needs be lesse then a reasonable man that would pluck this verse out of the midst of the rest and conceiue that by it which neuer came into the thought of him that pend it But for the translation reade it as you please so you vnderstand the meaning of the Euangelist aright that the Word or Sonne of God our Sauiour Christ made all things This being vnderstood wee are first to enquire what this speech importeth By him then what is said of him namely what this making was and what was made By him or By it By the VVord or by the Sonne why dâ—th the Euangelist make choise of this kind of speech and not rather say plainely as he might He made all things It is and hath bin alwaies commonly held that this maner of speaking doth better set out the worke of the Creation and confirme that former point of doctrine whereby our Sauiour was affirmed to bee the sonne of God If it had bin said that The VVord created all things it might haue bin imagined that the Father had had no hand therein whereas now it is implyed that the Father made all things by the Sonne But surely sauing their better iudgemeÌ„t that thus reasoÌ„ there is no more feare least the father shoulde bee thought not to haue created the world because the sonne did then least the holy Ghost should by the same speech be imagined to haue had nothing to do therein it is as much against the truth of religion to deny or doubt of the Godhead of the holy Ghost as of the fathers being God Yea the daunger was greater concerning the holy Ghost because not only the Scripture doth more often ascribe that worke of creation to the Father then to the holy Ghost but also the generall opinion of al men makes the father a Creator whereas the diuine nature of the holy Ghost is not so commonly knowne or beleeued Neither will this kind of speech which our Euangelist here vseth though you take it neuer so largely preuent or remedy that doubt touching the worke of the holy Ghost in the Creation but that for ought that can possibly be implied in this phrase By him the spirit may be thought to be no creator But that I may omit nothing which may be gathered for our instruction out of any reasonable obseruation let vs a little consider how this manner of speaking may confirme our faith concerning our Sauiour Christs being of his father When we say By him we ofteÌ„ times imply that there was some other beside him of whom we so speak For example if I say By Ioab the Ammonits were subdued I may signifie thereby that Dauid did sub due them by Ioab So By the VVord all things were made I may hereby giue notice that the father made al things by the Word Yet to say the truth neither doth this maner oâ— speech vsually imply any such matter nor the other exclude any that are or may be held to haue bin doers therein And therfore we are faine to adde only or alone when we would haue it conceiu'd that some one was the dooer of this or that But let vs grant that By him signifieth also the working of the Father that wee maye come to the cheefe thing intended by that obseruation What if all thinges be made by the Sonne We must learne thereby that the Sonne hath all that he hath from the Father and not of himselfe The father is said to haue made all things because he is of himselfe All things are said to be made by the sonne for that he is of another I propound these things to your consideration not so much with any opinion that the Euangelist had any such meaning as for the satisfaction of some who think it not lawfull to leaue any thing vntaught which hath beene formerly observ'd and deliuered for truth And I doe it the oftener now in this beginning that I may rather bee excused hereafter for leauing that out of my exposition which hath no certaine euidence of truth nor great likelihood of reason Wherefore I will for the most part content my selfe with the alleaging and refuting of such interpretations onely as the heretikes Papists and other haue made for the avowing of some of their errors For the present to cleare that which I haue begunne to speake of the doctrine of our Sauiours receiuing his being from his Father yea the very power of creating if you consider him as a Sonne is true and souÌ„d For being so coÌ„sidred he is wholly of the Father and hath nothing of himselfe that wee may not continue a needlesse fruitlesse controuersie begune slaunderously by some Papists and ignorantly as I shewed in my last exerciâ—e concerning the Godhead of the Sonne But this Doctrine cannot necessarily be gathered from this kind of phrase But if our Euangelist had intended any such thing hee would haue said that the Father made all things by the Sonne as u Heb. 1. 2. the Apostle speaketh By whome also he made the world and not thus vncertainely and to such a purpose obscurely By him all things were made Especially since the same speech may truely be vttered euen of God the Father or of the Diuine nature in which all three Persons are comprehended I doe therefore rather perswade my selfe that the Euangelist vsed his libertie and whereas hee might say either He made all things or By him all things were made he did make choise of the later both for variety and for elegancy of speech He had spoken of the Word altogether as yet after one maner of phrase The Word was that he now varies saying not He made but By him were made and this suiteth with the next verse very fitly By him were all things made In him was life There is no question but that this making which the Euangelist here noteth was the creating of the world whereof Moses speaketh And how soeuer it is a common opinion that creating signifieth making without any matter whereof the things to bee created should be made whereas making presupposeth matter ready to be framed and formed yet indeed there caÌ„ hardly be any such distinction wrung out of the words themselues For neither hath the Hebrew that Moses vseth to set out the creation any such nature nor the Greeke by which it is translated For the former it appeareth manifestly by the ordinary vse of it in the Scripture and namely by Moses himselfe who applies the word making to that which in in the next verse he cals creating lâ—t vs make man Thus God created the man in his image The words are diuers and yet spokeÌ„ of the same thing or
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
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
Is it not enough that wee are assured by the holy Ghost in the Scripture that the Lord hath giuen them charge ouer vs Many and many times are wee defended and guided by them though wee see them not As the Diuell laboureth all hee can to drawe or thrust vs into daunger So doe they striue against him to keepe vs from it or to pull vs vs out of it How many times haue wee beene stirred vp by them to the seruice of God and the workes of our calling How often haue they made vs remember and see that wee were entring into the way of destruction It is indeede the blessed spirit of the Almightie that inclines our hearts and affections to like of and yeelde to holy motions but the Angels are they that ordinarily make these motions Beleeue then in Iesus Christ and thou art presently furnisht of a most sufficient guard both for state and strength d Psal 34. 7. The Angel of the Lord pitcheth round about them that feare him and deliuereth them King Salomon in all his royaltie in the midst of them e 2. Chr. 9. 15. 16 that carried 200 targets and 300. shieldes of beaten golde was not so richly nor so safely guarded such honour such securitie doth beleefe in Christ procure all true Christians how meanely soeuer the worlde account of them It will here perhaps bee demanded by some whether those wicked spirits which we commonly call Diuells be of the number of those Angelles or within the compasse of those All things which the Euangelist sayth were made by Christ But the question is aunswered already because these spirits are not God and yet haue a true being it must needes bee that they tooke their beginning by Creation from him Without whome nothing was made that was made Besides it is not vnknowne I thinke to any man that these euill Angells are all one for the substance of their nature and being with those other holy and glorious spirits yea the Lord doth vse them oftentimes as executioners of his iust wrath vpon the wicked I will not stand to inquire whether euer hee doe imploy those his Angels of Light in any such kinde of seruice or no or whether this office bee put off to those euill spirites onely once it is a matter out of doubt that these later are sometimes so imployed f 1. Sam. 16. 14. The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an euill spirit sent from the Lord vexed him And of the Israelites it is sayd in g Psal 78. 49. the Psalme That the Lord cast vpon them the fiercenes of his anger indignation and wrath and vexation by the sending out of euil Angels Such was h 1. King 22. 21. that lying spirit which offered himselfe to deceiue Ahab by the mouth of his false Prophets As for that wickednesse of theirs which now by long custome is as it were turned into nature and hath taken so full possession of them that they are vtterly reprobat to all goodnesse it was not made with them but bred and brought in by them they receiued not that corruption with their nature but by their choise of euill corrupted their nature Their estate by creation was happie their nature holy i Iud. v. 6. But they kept not their first estate but left their owne habitation as Saint Iude tells vs and as k 2. Pet. 2. 4. the Apostle Peter plainly saith They sinned The Lord found no stedfastnesse in them as l Iob. 4. 18. Eliphas affirmeth in the booke of Iob They are now euill and nothing but euill but from the beginning they were not so Yes saith one euen from the beginning witnesse our Sauiour himselfe who doubteth not to affirme that The deuill hath beene a murderer from the beginning What From the beginning of his creation That were indeed to make God the author of sinne properly and immediately But how should the Diuell bee a murtherer when as yet there was none whom he could murther yea after that Adam was created which certainly was after the creation of Angells who were in all likelihood the beginning of Gods workmanship the Diuell was not yâ—â—â— murderer For Euah by whome he preuailed to the destruction of Adam and her selfe with their whole posterity was not yet framed But as soone as the Diuell had seene the man and the woman his malice against God his enuy at their present happinesse and future glory made him attempt that murder which he so soone committed So that from the beginning is nothing else but from the first time that hee had opportunitie to doe a murther I deny not that hee was ready enough before to haue done the like but our Sauiour speakes of that actuall mutther Neither yet doe I graunt that hee was naturally so inclyned by reason of any euill created in him But this I say that being holy by nature hee wilfully rebelled against God before the creation of Adam and by that rebellion of his defaced in himself the Image of God in which hee was created and was giuen vp by God to his owne wicked heart without hope or possibilitie of recouerie This in part our Sauiour himselfe in that place signifieth when hee addes immediatly vpon the former words that Hâ—e abode not in the truth For by this speech hee doth imply that hee was first in the truth Let vs not bee afray de then to confesse that the Sonne of God made the Diuell but let vs knowe and remember that hee made him not a diuell Hee is a Spirit by creation an euill spirit by declining from that puritie wherein hee was created His being is from the will of God his being euill from his owne will But that which concernes ve especially in this matter is this that how great soeuer his power seeme to bee in the world how extreame soener his malice bee against God how desirous soeuer he bee of our destruction yet hee in whom wee beleeue that did create him both hath him at coÌ„mand as a creature and would neuer haue created him if hee had not beene able to bring his owne purpose to passe for the saluation of those that trust in him in despight of Saâ—â—n and all his instruments Therefore take courage to thy selfe whosoeuer thou art that hast committed thy selfe to Iesus Christ to bee saued by him Dooth Satan rage against thee Dooth hee beleger thee on euerie side Dooth heee come with open mouth like a Lion to deuoure thee Hee that made him and thee knowes his strength and thy weakenesse Sooner shall hee burst himselfe with swelling enuie or fret himselfe away to nothing with bootelesse anger then separate thee from thy Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Hee loue thee for the first creation a thowsand times more for the second generation Though thy first righteousnesse was lost by sinne thy second grace shall ouercome sinne But let vs proceede to the creation of visible things Whereof I shall neede to say
the lesse because they are generally so well knowne to all men and describ'd somewhat largely in the hystorie of the creation Yet thus much I may and must say that if wee did more aduisedly consider either the whole frame of the world how each part serueth and beautifieth other or the particular creatures euerie one by themselues wee should discerne the power and wisedome of the Creator in a farre more excellent sort then euer yet wee sawe it But I will not enter into so large a fielde least the varietie of most admirable workemanshippe make mee forget my selfe and stay mee too long in the course of my present iorney to the ende of this whole verse Onely I will commend to your priuate meditation for this purpose the later ende of the booke of Iob from the beginning of Chapter 38. to the ende of 41. Where the Lord himselfe from heauen thunders out a wonderfull description of his diuine power and wisedome in the varietie of his workes and the incredible strength of some speciall creatures to the vtter confusion of m August de â—aeros cap. 46. the wicked Maniches who blasphemously gaue the glorie of these wonders to an Idoll of their owne senselesse deuising and setting vp But they that haue either the light of true reason or the direction of the holy spirit cleerly see and willingly acknowledge that the least and meanest creature in the world could neuer haue beene but by the infinit power of God and being is a sufficient proofe of that power by which it is This I speake the rather because n Aâ—crroes aly some learned fooles being inforced by the light of nature to discern the Creator in the creatures and yet being not willing to assent to the truth of Religion in the Scripture haue presumed to denie both the creation and prouidence of God in the smaller and inferiour creatures and in ordinary matters of no great moment Why so Because forsooth they were too base for God to make or meddle with O the nicenesse of vaine men As if the Sun that shineth out of the heauens were defiled or abased by casting of his beames vpon any place though neuer so homely or vncleanely But of the prouidence of God vpon some fitter occasion hereafter For the creation of such small and meane creatures wee haue authoritie of Scripture to assure vs they are GODS workemanshippe and strength of reason to proue that they are worthie to bee acknowledged for his And for Scripture what better warrant can wee desire then the testimony of the holy Ghost by o Gen. 1. 20. Moses in the report he makes of the first creation God said Ver. 24. Lette the waters bring foorth in aboundance euery creeping thing that hath life And of the earth afterward God said Let the earth bring foorth the liuing thing according to his kind cattell and that which creepeth There is not any creature in the Sea or on the Land of lesse woorth then that which creepeth Is it not a part of the Serpents punishment to go on his belly p Gen. 3. 14. Because thou hast done this thou art accursed aboue all cattell and aboue euery beast of the field vpon thy belly shalt thou goe and dust shalt thou eate all the daies of thy life Is there any baserfood then the dust of the earth And yet that is the ordinary meate of such thinges as craul vppon the land As for those that creepe in the water mudde and slyme is their ordinary sustenance Yet are both the one and the other created by the Lorde Therefore also haue they their part in praising and magnifying their heauenly creator q Psal 148. 10. Beasts and all Cattell creeping things and feathered foules Yea they are not only the creatures of God but howsoeuer for a time they were ceremonially vncleane by nature cleane good So did the Lord himselfe teach and informe r Act. 10. 10. Peter by a voice from heauen The holy Apostle was hungry and while meate was dressing for him fell into a trance wherein he saw a vessell come downe from heanen in which were amongst verse 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. other creatures creeping things Then there came a voice to him willing him to kill and eate Is not this a sufficient proofe of their creation and cleanness They came now downe from heauen and Peter was will'd to eate of them But Peter remembring that they were forbidden to bee eaten as vncleane began to excuse himselfe The Lord to cut of all obiections answers him againe The thing that God hath purified pollute thou not This was so done thrice saith the Text. Why so often but that all doubt of their vncleannesse might be cleane taken away Well say you let them be cleane forvse especially in acase of necessity yet they are not worthy to be held for the creatures of God Not worthy and yet haue being mouing and life Any one of these were sufficient to make them shew some part of his greatnesse from whom they are Take the least of the 3. Is there not an infinit difference betwixt not being and being Or can any power lesse then infinit giue being where there is none Do not all things as it were speake sound out the excellency of being when they feare and striue against nothing more then least they should not bee What hath made some profane wretches that had no hope of life after their death in this world to wish that they might liue though it were but in the forme nature of Todes or Spiders It is an old and true obseruation euen of the heathen that euery thing is naturally desirous to continew its being by all meanes possible But these fond wise men shall be condemned by some like themselues Let vs heare Pharaohs in chaunters giue in their verdict When they all crauled with lice saw that God who had suffered the Diuel for a time to deceiue them with vaine shewes would no longer endure his and their damnable presumption they cried out to Pharaoh Å¿ 〈◊〉 3. 19. This is the singer of God Surely if making lice of dust be not dishonourable to God but the wretched sorcerers are inforced to acknowledge his power in them what madnes is it to deny him the creation of the smallest and meanest things Yet I would not be so vnderstood as if I thought that euery kinde of such creatures was made at the first creation within the compass of those six daies It is enough for vs to beleeue and acknowledge that all things had their being from God both for their nature and their properties and that no kind of creature hath bin is or shal be at any time bred but according to the appointment of the Lord and by the meanes which he from the beginning ordained fitted to that purpose Thence it is that diuerse liuing creatures are daily bred of dust mudd slyme and such like Not as if these
there was no possibility of life but by the death of the Sonne of God and that the Sonne of God could not dye vnlesse he became man yet might the Evangelist haue wel said In him is life For since it is confest that hee tooke the nature of man and continues still in heauen in that nature surely life was no more in him while hee was heere then it is in him now he is gone from hence Why then saith S. Iohn In him was life I answere in one word though life be still in him yet it is in respect of that which he performed when he was here on the earth Here he tooke and sanctified our nature here hee bare the chastisement of our peace here he offred vp that invaluable sacrifice for the purging of our sinnes Here hee triumphed on the Crosse ouer all principalities and powers Heere hee rose out of the graue from death to life Only one thing which here possibly could not be don he hath done being gon from hence that is he hath taken possessioÌ„ of our inheritance in heauen waites there to receiue vs into his owne glory The Euangelist therefore writing the history of his life death while he was here in the world speaks of him as of one that was is not But of this enough before I should now proceed to the later part of this fourth verse And that life was the light of men But I find my self so much ouertaken by the time that it is in vain to meddle with it I will I therefore content my selfe with some word of exhortation whereby wee maie bee stirred vp to the embracing of that life which was in Christ To which purpose what shal I need to say much The mat ter dooth so highly commende it selfe that it refuseth to be entreated for Looke not therefore that I shoulde desire you to bee willing to liue Nay bee vnwilling if you can Doe but propound the matter to your own hearts and you will not choose but like of it And yet mee thinkes I see no man make any great haste Shall I wonder or complayne It is strange that life life euerlasting should bee so little set by It is lamentable that death eternall death should so little bee feared If it were any long Iorney or daungerous way if hard to come by or soone lost againe there might bee perhaps some colour of excuse for this backewardnesse But when the thing it selfe is neere at hand the way to it safe the meanes of attaining to it easie and the possession of it sure who can excuse himselfe to himselfe I say not to God if hee fayle of so glorious a treasure Do wee not beleeue the Euangelist that there is life in him Doe wee flatter our selues with a conceite that there is life in vs Why come wee to heare that which when wee haue heard wee will not credite why make wee a shew as if wee stood in need of life from Christ when wee thinke our selues sped of it already Perhaps it seemes the lesse worth because it is offered Who euer thought that the kindnesse of the giuer should abate the valew of the gift Condemne thy selfe for not seeking to him not him for seeking to thee That hee reueales to thee hee conceales from many That which thou vnthankefully refusest many thousandes would most thankefully receiue O the frowardnesse of the hearts of men O the blindnesse of their minds If this life were in God they would tremble to come neere him for it because of his dreadfull maiestie Now it is in a man least happely they should be too much afrayd they disdaine to take it of him by reason of his meanenesse Å¿ Mat. 11. 19. But wisedome is iustified of her children He is both God and man that thou maist neither feare nor despise him If thou wilt not liue to shew his mercie thou shalt die to set foorth his Iustice For to him belongeth all glorie both of mercy and Iustice for euer and euer Amen THE FIFT SERmon vpon the first Chapter of IOHN Verse 4. And that life was the light of men And the light shineth in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not THey that take vpon them to write the liues of famous men such as the world admires either for their goodnesse or greatnesse ordinarily deliuer some generall description of them in the beginning of their histories These descriptions vsually containe either a rehersal of their pedegree and descent together with the place time and other matters concerning their birth and such like or a commendation of them for some especiall vertues Wee haue examples of both these kindes in the Scripture t 1. â—â—â— 1. 1. 2 He that was the holy Ghosts Secretarie in penning the historie of Samuell begins his booke with a recitall of his genealogy a description of his parents and diuers other points touching his conception birth and education u Iob. 1. 1. 2. Another whome it pleased the same spirit of God to imploy in writing the life of Iob makes the entrance into his historie by commending him for an vpright and iust man one that feared God and eschewed euill Our Euangelist intending to set forth the life and death of our Sauiour Iesus Christ as the partie he writes of was extraordinarie so doth he extraordinarily ioyne both together And because two other Euangelists x Mâ—â— 1. 1. 2. 3. c. Saint Mathew y Luk. 3. 50. 31 c. Saint Luke had already set out his humane pedegree both for succession in the kingdom fornaturall descent Saint Iohn leauing them vntoucht betakes himself to the declaring of his diuine estate First what he was in himself eternall with God the Father himselfe very God Secondly what he was to vs a Creator in making all things for vs a Sauiour in giuing life euen spirituall life life of grace pardoÌ„ life of immortality glory So that whether we respect his greatnes or his goodnes neuer was any maÌ„ so worthy the writing of neuer any maÌ„ so worthy the knowing following His greatnesse was magnified in the power of creation his goodnesse shewes it selfe especially in the work of regeneration Wherein first the Euangelist declares what he is and doth then how he is intertaind In him was life and that life was the light of men What doth hee According to the nature of light Hee shines in darkenes But the darkenesse will not bee inlightned Of the first of these points concerning life in him I spake in my last Sermon now let vs proceede to that which followes touching light And therein keeping our former course of handling the Clauses seuerally as they lye wee must first labour to vnderstand the words then seeke out the Euangelists meaning The wordes direct vs to inquire what life it is that is heere spoken of to consider what is saide of it that it is light and the light of men For the first worde a little
13. reserued the blacknes of darkenes for euer When the word is vsed for sinne it signifieth either the ignorance of the minde and vnderstanding or the Rom. 2. 19. wickednes of the heart and conuersation Thou perswadest thy selfe sayth the Apostle to the Iewes that thou art a guide of the blind a light of them which are in darknes namely in ignorance To this purpose the same Apostle sayth of the Ephesians before they had been taught by Eph. 4. 18. the Gospell that Their cogitation was darkened This is Mat. 4. 16. that Darkenes in which the people sate til by our Sauiours preaching as Saint Mathew tels vs They came to see light That the wickednes of our heart and the leudnes of our actions are signified by the same word it may Rom. 13. 12. appear by these places Let us cast away the works of darknes and let us put on the armor of light What these workes of darknes are the Apostle sheweth in the next verse Ver. 13. Gluttony drunkennes chambering wantonness strife and enuying and generally in the verse following To fulfill the Ver. 14. Ephe. 5. 8. lusts of the flesh In this respect he tels the Ephesians that they were once darkenes And a little after hee forbids them Ver. 11. to haue any fellowship with the vnfruitfull workes of darknes But no man speakes more plainely or more fully to this purpose then S. Iohn himselfe God is light and in him is no 1. Ioh. 1. 5. darknes that is no kind of euill If we say that we haue fellowship with him and walke in darkenesse wee lye and do ver 6. 2. 11. not truely He that hateth his brother is in darkenes walketh in darknes is in the corruptioÌ„ of nature behaues himselfe according therunto And of the word this may suffice coÌ„cerning the ordinary vse of it in the Scripture For this place wee must needes take it generally as wee did light and so apply it to the particular in hand The light naturally shines in darkenes and bodily light in bodily darkenesse the spirituall in spirituall So did the Messiah shine in the ignorance and wickednesse of men So did the doctrine of saluation shew it selfe in the blindnesse and naughtinesse of the world The former point of the natural bodily light shining in darkenes is not any matter of diuinity besides so well knowne to children that it were lost labour to say any thing of it Let vs keepe our selues to the Euangelists meaning and after wee haue a little proued the doctrine consider the matter for our farther instruction and edification And that the truth may the rather bee acknowledged let vs call to minde that the Prophet Isay many hundred yeâ—res before gaue notice of this light and the shining thereof and not of the shining onely but also of a farther effect the inlightning of them that were in darkenesse Let vs heare himselfe speake The people that walked in darkenesse haue seene a Isay 9. 2. great light they that dwelt in the Land of the shadowe of death vpon them hath the light shined My warrant to expound this prophecy of the light in the ministery of our Sauiour Christ is from the authoritie of the holy Ghost in Saint Mathewes Gospell Iesus leauing Nazareth Mat. 4. 13. 14. 15 went and dwelt in Capernaum which is neere the Sea in the borders of Zabulon the Land of Nepthalyn by the way of the Sea Galilee of the Gentiles The people which sate in darkenesse c. I spake of this before in expounding the words the naming of it this second time is sufficient Let me second it with an other prophecy out of the new Testament Olde Zacharie the Father of Saint Luk. 1. 67. Iohn Baptist being filled with the holy Ghost foretold this shining Through the teÌ„der mercie of our God the day-spring Ver 78. Ver. 79. sayth hee from an high hath visited vs to giue light to them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace This day spring Simeon in few words tearmeth alight to bee reuealed to the 2. 32. Gentiles He mentioneth not the darkenes True but we haue learned that the Gentiles were in darknes as wel by that of Esay as by the testimony of Saint Paul Walke not sayth he to the Ephesians turned from Gentilisme as other Gentiles walked hauing their cogitation darkened Eph. 4. 17. 18. and being strangers from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the hardnesse of their hart But the brightnes of this light and the glorious shining thereof is no where more cleerely to be discernd then in the course of this Gospell wherein so many secrets of God of the Messiah of the holy spirit and comforter of freedome from sinne of deliuerance from damuation and of euerlasting life are set foorth commended to vs. The doctrine then is easie and certaine that our Saâ—iour being the supernaturall light shined to the world and shineth still and euer in the knowledge of eternall saluation Let not the manner of speech trouble any maÌ„ because the Euangelist sayeth that The light shineth in darkenesse You will aske me how this can be If the light shine there is no darkenes It there bee darknesse the light shines not How then can the light shine in darkenesse Is it all one as if hee should haue sayde The Ma'd â—nat ad hunc lo cum light inlightneth the darkenesse scattering and dispersing it But shining and inlightning as I shewd before are diuerse the former respeâ—ting the nature of the light the other a second arie effect of the light in things inlightned Neither may wee forget that the darkenes was not inlightned The darkenesse sayth Saint Iohn omprehended it not How then doth the light shine in â—â—rkenesse Surely as the Sunne in the firmament shines â—â—ongst a company of blind men The Sunne indeede â—â—â—nes but the darkenesse to blinde men is neuer a whit â—he losse So our Lord his doctrin shined most brightly in the midst of the blind Scribes and Pharises yet were they still in darkenesse The naturall light doth his office shewes his nature by spreading his beams all about that all men may see so doth the supernatuâ—al light deliuering the knowledge of God Christ to saluatioÌ„ yet to the blind the darknes coÌ„tinues thoghâ— the darknesse continue yet the light shines so the light shines in darknesse The ligh in darknesse what light What darknesse Is not the light you speake of a dim glimmering or rather is it not as a candle wasted and spent to nothing Is not Christ the light you brag of Is not this light put out You preach Christ crucified What light is there in death What shining when the Sun is set Where is the darknesse you vpbrayd the world withall Is not this Chr. crucified which in your
father There was a man of Beniamin The new Testament is full of the like examples some of them wee heard before a few more will suffice There Ioh. 5. 5. 2. 1. was a mâ—â— there saith our Euangelist speaking of the poole at â—ethesda There was a man one of the Phaâ—ises Aâ—â— 5. 1. 10. 1. A certaine man named Ananias There was a certaine man in Caesarea I mâ—ght rehearse many more of the same kinde but these are more then enow and by this I thinke wee haue sufficient warrant to conclude that the holy Ghost in this History of Iohn speakes as hee doth ordinarily in other places of the like kinde without any intent to signifie his nature of whom he speakes and this is the simplest and Plainest interpretation of these former words The later Sent from God offer these two things to our consideration who sent what this sending was What needs any question of the former may some man say Doth not the Euangelist speake plaine enough and tell vs that God was the sender Hee was sent from God But we learned in the beginning of this Gospell that the worde God somtimes signified the diuine nature which is but one and the same in all three persons sometimes some one of them And we haue here the more reason to make this inquirie because one of the persons namely the second is he of whome Iohn was to witnes Not to vse more words then neede wee are directed by Iohn himselfe to vnderstand this of GOD the Father This I prooue by this our Euangelist in this present chapter where he reports part of the Baprists tesimonie touching our Sauiour in this sort He that sent mee to baptize with water he said vnto me vpon whom thou Ioh. 1. 33. shalt see the spirit come downe and tarry still on him that is hee which baptizeth with the holy Ghost Who is this that sent Iohn to baptize Not the diuine nature For he is distinguisht from the Sonne and the holy Ghost who can it be then but the Father God the father gaue Iohn a token whereby he should know the Sonne that was the Messiah the comming downe of the holy Ghost and his abiding on him S. Mathew sets out the point as distinctly The second Person is in the water newly baptized the third sits vpon him in the likenes of a Doue the first proclaimes him from heauen This is that my Sonne Mat. 3. 17. that beloued one in whome I am well pleased As if hee should in plaine tearmes haue said to Iohn This is hee of whome I sent thee to beare witness The like distinction for the Father and the Sonne wee haue in Saint Luke where Zachary the father of Iohn prophecying Luke 1. 76. of his sonne sayeth that hee shall be called the Prophet of the most high namely of God the Father as it appeares by the speech of the Angell Gabriell to the virgin Mary Hee shall be called the Sonne of the most verse 32. high Then followes Iohns office Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord namely the Lord Iesus for whome Iohn prepared the way But how did God the Father send him Surely hee may well bee said to haue bin sent in regard both of his person and of his office His person as it is wel knowne I will but point at the particulars was after an extraordinarie manner from GOD as I saac was giuen to Gen. 18. 10. Abraham and Sarah by him His father and mother were both striken image and she also barren insomuch Luke 1. 7. that when shee was conceiued with childe contrarie to her expectation and beyond all likelihood and naturall possibilitie shee hid her selfe fiue monethes till shee might bee more sure of that which to Ver. 24. 36. many would seeme vnpossible and to take away too much occasion of speech from the common sort For his office it was assigned him by GOD and notice also of that Assigâ—ment giuen to his father before the child was conceiued Hee shall goe before him saith the Angell in the spirit and power of Elias Neither was he only thus foreappointed for this excelâ—ent office but when the time came that hee should enter vpon it he receiued a speciall commission and warrant from God for the execution thereof The worde Luke 3. 1. 2. of God came to Iohn the sonne of Zacharias in the wildernesse It is to no purpose to spend time in seeking how this worde came whether by any inward motion of the spirit onely or by some outward vision also wee may safely be ignorant of such matters hath not pleased the holy Ghost to reueale in the scriptures yet if wee may lawfully ghesse it seemes most likely that it was without any such outward shew because the Euangelist makes no mention of it in setting downe the History This last sending onely is thought by some to bee signified in this place If they had said no more but chiefly I should ensily haue assented to them Now they say onely I doubt whether they haue any sufficient warrant so to restraine the holy Ghosts words or no and therefore thinke it most conuenient to allow them as large an extent as they will reasonably beare You looke perhaps that I should now proceede to deliuer the Enangelists meaning and accordingly to adde such proofe and exhortation as may helpe vs forward in the embracing of the Gospell But I thinke it fittest to forbeare that for a time till I haue expounded the other part of the verse that I may take all together It followeth then to speake of the name and why the Euangelst records it The name as it soundeth in our language hath little resemblance of the originall whence it commeth Which if any man thinke a fault let him take heede that he doe not rashly condemne the holy Ghost who in the Greeke hath had small care to expresse the Hebrew sounds following continually the custome howsoeuer not answering the originall tongue Shall I need to bring any particulars for proofe of that I say Looke ouer the new Testament and wheresoeuer you finde the name of any Prophet where the Greeke differs from the Hebrew you haue an example of that which I affirme Begin with Moses if you will and so goe forward to Malachy You shall finde that the holy Ghost keepes one and the same course in naming of them without respect of their significations or sounds The reason of this is that the parties were wel known to the Iewes by those names according as the 72. Interpreters had translated them after the manner of the Greeke tongue Other languages Except perhaps the Flemâ—sh by the same warrant haue iustly taken the same liberty and not doubted as they needed not to fit the He. brew and Greeke names to the fashion of their seuerall tongues So that if any man shall either curiously affect or superstitiously obserue the nature and sound of those names which
whereas lawfully hee might haue done otherwise These are the principall places and in a manner all of them which as farre as I am able to discerne â—aue any reasonable shew of proofe that the word may bee taken for freedome of will As for a fewe other in the former Epistle to the Corinthians it is no hard matter to answere them in a worde First where the Apostle speakes of a mans hauing power ouer his owne 1. Cor. 7. 37. will it is plaine hee meanes not free will but command ouer that freedome by which a man hath liberty to keepe or not to keepe his virgin So that this power determines and as it were ties the will to the one onely as the wordes before declare where he speakes of being firme in his heart that is as it followeth in the later part of the verse hauing decreed in his heart that hee will keepe his virgin In the ninth Chapter there is often mention of power to eate power to leade about a wife power not to labour with hands power to Chap. 9. 4. 5. 6. partake of their goods to whome they preach What is this els but a lawfull Autoritie to doe or not doe these things as in spirituall discretion they shall think most fit for the edifying of their brethren Now all that hath bin said beeing considered I thinke I may safely conclude that the worde which our Rhemists translate power vnderstanding by it free will may well bee expounded Dignitie or Prerogatiue in this Text and is neuer so vsed in any part of the new Testament that it must needs be taken for freewill Of the other worde the translation and signification whereof I am now to search out I can not say so because there are many places where it can not stand for to bee but of necessitie must bee taken for to bee made It is enough to iustifie our translation so farre as concernes the nature of the worde it selfe that it signifyeth and that often in the Scripture yea ordinarily to bee as we in this place translate it I wittingly and willingly forbeare to alledge any proofe of that I say by bringing examples because it is knowne and acknowledged by all that haue any little skill of the Greeke tongue But since both may be what reason can we bring why our to bee should be preferred before the Papists to bee made First it is certaine that all they which expound the former by dignitie excellencie and such like vnderstand by this later a present possession of Son-ship if I may so speake and not a future possibilitie Secondly they also that by it will haue autoritie or right to be meant generally are of opinion that they of whome our Euangelist heere speakes are actually and in their present estate sonnes of God by that grace which is signified in the other word though some thinke it may bee lost afterward Onely Maldonat the Iesuite fearing as it may well be thought least he should be taken for an heritike as he was somtimes accused to bee though he confesse that by the former worde right is signified yet he will not at any hand agree with vs about this latter point but chooseth rather to allow of an other exposition and that none of the best neither To them saith Maldonat that were already truely or indeede Vere us the sonnes of God he gaue right or title that they might also be his heyres Can any man perswade himselfe that the holy Ghost if hee had intended to note a â—arder and greator honour then being a sonne would not haue vsed a word fit for that purpose and namely Heyre but haue coÌ„tented himselfe with the common worde sonneâ— The Apostle Paul when hee had honoured them that Rom. 8. 17. truely beleeue in Christ with the title of sonnes and as iâ— were indued them with the spirit as an assurance of their beeing sonnes addes a farder amplification of their happiness that they were heyres also euen heyres of God and ioint heyres with Iesus Christ. Questionless if the Euangelist had meant to signifie this point of beeing heyres as distinct and superior to that of Sonnes hee would either hauespokeÌ„ as S. Paul had done before him or haue made choise of that worde that is proper to that dignitie and interest But let the Euangelist declare his owne meaning What can bee more plaine then that which followeth in the next verse which are borne not of bloud c. Ver. 13. They that beleeue in the name of Christ are borne of God Therefore are they sonnes not onely haue Power Autoritie or Right to bee as if they were not so vpon their beeleeuing but must procure that afterward in time I know not when by a second grace to bee purchast by the good vse of the former The Scripture deliuereth an other manner of Doctrine teaching vs that all euen as many as beleeue in Christ according to the Gospell are the sonnes of God by faith Yee are all saith the Apostle to the Galathians Gal. 3. 26. the Sonnes of GOD by faith in CHRIST Nay say our Papists not by faith but by charitie Faith indeede giues vs a certaine right that we may become the sonnes of God but it is charitie by which wee attaine to this honour As if our loue to God proceeded not from that spirit of his by which wee receiued faith and which teacheth and stirreth vs vp to call God Father Because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit Chap. 4. 6. of his Sonne into your hearts which cryeth Abba Father See I pray you if there bee any difference of times in these matters wee are sonnes ere wee haue this spirit of loue And why or how doe wee or can wee loue God but in respect of his fatherly kindness to vs in Iesus Christ we loue because we are sonnes we are not made sonnes because wee loue first But I may not wade too farre in this matter which appertaines to the Doctrine heere deliuered whereas I am yet but in search for the signification of the words Wherein wee haue found two things that wee lookt for and lighted vpon a third by occasion First the worde vsed by our Euangelist translated by our Rhemists Power doth not signifie free will but dignity or prerogatiue SecoÌ„dly the other word notes our present estate vpon beleefe that we are the Sonnes of God not our possibility that we may be if we vse the grace we haue receiued well In this search the word Sonne offered it selfe to vs in its own proper signification not vsurping the place of his brother heire We are now to go forward in the like examination of two other wordes or rather phrases and to enquire what it is to beleeue in this or that and so To beleeue in Christ Secondly what is meant by Beleeuing in his name whether it bee all one with Beleeuing in him or no. Now of the former I shall need to say the lesse
their naturall being So are some euen as many as beleeue in Christ his sonnes concerning their spirituall beeing For it is God that creates as it were new hearts in them that restores that image of his which they had lost that giues them spirituall life and motion to all righteous and holy actions I do but name the things according to the present occasion leauing the handling of them to more fit opportunitie in the next verse It is enough that we vnderstand in what meaning wee are the Children of Godâ— because wee are borne of him and yet not his Sonnes by nature But is this that which the holy Ghost intendeth in this place to signifie that Christ is autor of regeneration to all them that beleeue I suppose this is not all For it is easie for euery man to discerne that the Text speaketh of such a being sonnes as followeth faith and beleeuing whereas the birth that is mentioned in the verse following goeth before faith which is one of those â—â—â—ces that are formed in vs and brought forth by that â—irth This is that the Apostle saith other where Ye are Gal. 3. 26. ill the Sonnes of God by faith in Iesus Christ First wee beleeue and then by beleeuing we are the sonnes of God This is as it were the second birth the first is that which necessarily must bee had before a man can haue any â—pirituall life in him For as our Sauiour tells Nicodemus That which is borne of flesh is flesh and that that is Iohn 6. borne of the spirit is spirit No man can possibly haue â—aith of the flesh but the spirit must beget a faithfull man There is no remedy then but wee must seeke for â—ome other being sonnes or that I may speake more â—hortly Sonne-ship Giue mee leaue to vse the worde because it is fit though somwhat harsh till it be worne smooth with often vsing Where shall wee finde that Sonne-ship wee inquire for Let vs examine what and how many kindes of Sonnes wee know amongst men not speaking of these which are made sonnes by alliance who is ignorant that there are two kindes of Sonnes by nature and by adoption The one is borne the other is chosen a Sonne The former kinde is so well knowne that it were idle to say any thing of it Of the later we haue small knowledge amongst vs by experience saue only in them who by their last Will and Testament make them their Heyres that haue no interest to their estate but onely by the fauour and appointment of the Testator Among the old Romans it was very ordinary as their histories lawes in that case prouided euidently pleÌ„tifully shew The scripture affords vs few or none examples of this kinde Wee haue a shadow of it in the course that Iacob tooke with Iosephs two sonnes Manasses Ephraim They were indeede his grand children or nephewes by nature But by fauour hee made theÌ„ equall to the rest of his sons their vncles so that they make two of the 12. Tribes Let my name Gen. 48. 16. saith Iacob be named vpon them that is Let them be accounted my sonnes as if they had bin begotten of my body The like may be said of Moses and Esther who were after a sort the adopted Children of Pharaohs daughter and Mordecai Of him the Text saith that his mother after shee had weaned him brought him to Pharaohs daughter and he was as her Sonne Which Exod. 2. 10. Heb. 11. 24. is farder proued by the Epistle to the Hebrewes that he refused to be called the sonne of Pharaohs daughter Of her it is recorded in the history that after the death of her father and her mother Mordecai who was her cosin Germane Est 2. 7. tooke her for his owne daughter By this Son-ship the partie thus adopted obtaines a title and interest to the estate of him that hath adopted him as if hee were his naturall child Of this sonne-ship by Adoption from God there are 〈◊〉 in loa lib 1. cap. 10. two kindes in the scripture the one a figure and resemblance of the other When the Lord sent Moses to Pharaoh for the deliuerance of the children of Israell hee gaue him this instruction for the discharge of his Embassage Thou shall say to Pharaoh Thus sayth the Lord Exod. 4. 22. Israell is my sonne my first borne Would you know what sonneship this was The Apostle wil resolue you where speaking of the prerogatiue that God vouchsaf't the Iewes he reckens among other blessings the Adoption Rom. 9. 4. what was that else but a choosing of that people out of all the nations in the world to be his peculiar vnder his protection The Lord sayth Moses set his delight in thy fathers to loue them and did choose their seede after them euen Deut. 10 15. you aboue all people Therefore did hee bestow vpon them the Land of Canaan a land especially furnisht by him with the blessings of this present life Flowing with milke and honey Glorious was this estate of theirs their Exod 33. 3. adoption full of fauour to the enuie of all the world their owne happy securitie But as glorious and bountifull as it was it was for all that but a shadow of the spirituall sonneship There is another manner of Adoption mentioned in the new Testament and imparted to them that beleeue in Iesus Christ When the fulnesse of time was come sayth Galat. 4. 4. 5. Saint Paule God sent foorth his sonne made of a woman made vnder the law That hee might redeeme them which were vnder the law that wee might receiue the adoption of sonnes According as he had predestinated vâ— saith the same Eph. 1. 5. Apostle to be adopted through Iesus Christ To vs thus adopted he giues the spirit of adoption whereby wee cry Abba Rom. 8. 15. father This is the sonneship the Euangelist speakes of in this place This is that spirituall Adoption by which wee are truely made the sonnes of God I shall not need to adde any farther proof of the matter because it hath appeared already that none of the other Sonneships can agree with that which is here auouched For to none of them is beleeuing required especially beleeuing in Iesus Christ but to this only To that Sonneship which is by creatioÌ„ it is neither lookt for nor possible that wee should bring faith For wee must needes be eâ—e wee can beleeue and our very being is our being sonnes So the Iewes vpon that promise of God to their father Abraham were borne not made sonnes their Adoption consisted not in the seuerall choyse of particular men but in separating the seede of Abraham Isaac and Iacob from all families and nations in the world whatsoeuer Neither is our spirituall sonneship of the former kinde attained to by faith but by it we are made faithfull Therefore to be sonnes is to be adopted by God for his children in Christ I will make