in the matter of our iustification I deny not that the Hebrew addeth the preposition ◠often times which the 70 sometimes expresse sometimes ouerpasse but this I say that the phrase which the holy Ghost most commonly vseth in the new Testament to expresse Beleeuing in Christ is neither in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 greeke translation of the old nor for ought I could euer yet find in any greeke Author whatsoeuer except those that writ since and tooke it from the Scripture To beleeue in God or in Christ for the substance and sense is no more but to trust to God or Christ and this kinde of speech is vsuall in the greeke tongue and writers To helpe vs in the vnderstanding of this the 70. in their greek afford an other phrase maruelous significant To 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beleeue vpon or on God This the holy Ghost might haue contented himselfe withall vsing it often as hee doth and by this the Hebrew Preposition is now and Act. 16. 13. Rom. 4. 5. 18. then exprest in the Greek But as if hee would haue vs out of al doubt touching a matter of so great importāce he becomes autor of a new phrase himselfe To beleeue in Christ Shall any man perswade me that hee meanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no more by it but a bare assenting to the truth What needed this straunge manner of speech which doth rather darken then inlighten the vnderstanding for the right conceiuing of the holy Ghosts true meaning Abraham beleeued God Euery man knows what this means especially if it signifie no more hut giuing credit to the truth of that which is spoken But the Apostle expoūds it by Beleeuing in or on God Is not this to make the matter doubtfull by an exposition whereas of it selfe it was plaine and certaine enough It cannot bee therefore but that the holy Ghost by this new kind of speech notes somewhat more then simply to assent to the truth of God vpon the autority of the speaker In particular I say farder touching that of Abraham Rom. 4. 5. first that his beleeuing as we haue often heard is a beleeuing in God or resting vpon God 2 that beleeuing could not haue profited Abrahā if he had only acknowledgd the truth of that which God promised and not trusted to him for the performance thereof What can it auaile any man to Iustificatiō that he holds IESVS CHRIST to be the only Sauiour and faith in himt he only means of saluation if he doe not withall rely vpon him to bee saued by his mediation Thirdly it must bee considered that the Apostle applying that particular of Abraham to all beleeuers expoundeth that beleeuing by relying vpon God Which beleeue on him that raised vp Iesus our Lorde from the dead What is it think you to beleeue on Verse 24. him that raised Iesus To assent to the truth of Scripture that tells vs he was raised Then should the Apostle rather haue spokē thus which beleeue God who saith he hath raised him But it is required that wee beleeue on him and there is no speech nor thought of any thing affirmed by God which wee should beleeue Let vs vnderstand it thus which beleeue that God raised Iesus Certainely if this had beene the Apostles meaning hee would neuer haue spokē so doubtfully of so weighty a matter where he had a plaine and easy speech to expresse that which he intended to the vnderstanding of euery man whereas no man woulde euer conceiue what he meant by these wordes if they signified no more but giuing credit to the truth of our Sauiors resurrection As for the other place out of the Epistle to the Hebrewes what can possibly bee concluded out of it against Heb. 11. 7. that I haue deliuered touching the nature of that faith by which we are iustified What if by it we vnderstand that the world was ordained of GOD Is this all that is required to the iustifying of a man in respect of faith There is no such thing either exprest or implyed in the words Nay rather all the examples that follow are so many proofes that the faith whereof the holy Ghost there speakes can not bee seuered from be leeuing in God I will not stand vpon the particulars at this time the later part of the next Chapter before vpon occasion whereof the Apostle falles into this discourse of faith giues sentence for me The iust shall liue Chap. 10. 38. 37. by faith By what faith by that which only giues credit to the truth of God No but by such a faith as makes vs rest vpon God for the performance of his promise which presupposeth the truth thereof How chance thē that the Apostle in setting forth the nature of faith asscribes such effects therevnto as may bee without any resting vpon God Shall wee say that this faith spreds it selfe ouer the whole soule and is seated aswell in the vnderstanding as in the affection I see not how it can stand with reason to place any habit or quality in two diuers partes or faculties of the soule VVhat then Is not beleeuing of the truth required to iustification Yes surely There is no possibility of saluation without it For how shall any man trust in Christ to be iustified by him it hee doe not beleeue that hee is appointed by God to be a Sauiour of all them that trust vnto him But the question is first whether Beleefe bee nothing else but an assenting to the truth Secondly whether the true nature of that faith which is availeable to our iustification consist in resting vpon Christ to be iustified by him or no Assent is required as the roote and foundation but the very forme of iustifying faith is beleeuing in Christ as it shall appeare I hope when I haue iust occasion to define it and handle it at large In the meane while that no man may bee troubled about that place to the Hebrewes let vs remember that the Apostle being to sette forth iustifying faith and to perswade continuance in obedience therevnto enters into a commendation of fayth in generall for the amply fying of that particular But for the settling of our minds in the true knowledge of that beleefe which is required to our iustification nothing I take it can be of greater force then the consideration of the worde as it is vsed ordinarily in the olde Testament VVhen any blessing is to bee receined from God what beleefe is it that the Lorde expecteth of his people to the ende they may haue his protection and assistance A fewe examples will shew the nature of it Because thou hast rested on the king of Aram and hast not rested vpon the Lorde thy God therefore is the hoast of the king of Aram escaped out of thy 1. Chro. 5. 18. 19. 20. hands Thus did Hanani the Seer reprooue Asa king of Iuda shewing him that the reason why hee preuailed not against the Aramites
In this signification when the matter is of beleeuing God to iustification saluation sometimes the word is vsed by it selfe sometimes it hath an other word which we call a preposition ioined with it Of the former sort these may be examples Ioh. 5. 24. Hee that heareth my word and beleeueth him that sent me hath euerlasting life What is this beleeuing but that which we heard of euen now out of the Apostle Hee that beleeueth in him that iustifieth the wicked and that Rom. 45. which we are to heare of if it please God in the course of this Gospell yee beleeue in God The like is to bee said Ioh. 14. 1. of that in the Acts of the Iaylor He reioiced that he with all his housholde beleeued God Would you knowe what Act. 15. 34. beleefe this was We may learne that out of the Apostles former instruction and exhortation Beleeue in the Verse 31. Lord Iesus Christ There is yet a plainer testimony then this if any thing can be plainer in the same book where S. Luke writing the history of Crispus and his conuersion to the faith speaketh thus And Crispus the cheefe ruer Chap. 18. 8. of the Synagogue beleeued the Lord. The Lord that is our Sauiour Christ had not spoken to him but the Apostle Paul had taught him the doctrine of the Gospel that he was to beleeue in Iesus Christ for saluation To this he obayed and therefore is said to beleeue the Lord that is to beleeue in him When the prepositions are added the signification of the word is more fully exprest The most common and vsuall whereof wee haue very many examples in this Gospell is In. His Disciples beleeued in him Trusted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ioh. 2. 11. Chap. 3. 16. to him as to the Messiah That whosoeuer beleeues in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting VVhosoeuer resteth vpon him for saluation Almost euery Chapter affords vs the like examples so do the other bookes of the newe Testament especially the Epistle to the Romans that I may spare time and labour and hasten to the other preposition which though it bee vsed more seldome yet is most significant It is as much in english as vpon or on It was known throughout all Ioppa and many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 9. 42. beleeued vpon or on him That is many rested vpon him for Saluation VVhat must I doe to bee saued saith Chap. 16. 30. Verse 31. the Iaylour Paul and Silas answered him Beleeue on or vpon the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saued But no one place doth so plainely and fully expresse the nature of this phrase as that to the Romans Behold Rom 9. 33. I lay in Syon a stumbling stone and a rock of offence and euery one that beleeueth on it shall not bee ashamed Heere our Sauiour is compared to a Rocke at which many doe stumble not acknowledging him to bee the Messiah but seeking other meanes to saue themselues by This Simeon foretold of our Sauiour that hee should be an occasion of falling to many in Israell But Luk. 2. 34. they that shall settle themselues vpon that rocke and renounce all other causes and meanes of attaining to euerlasting life shall neuer be asham'd of that their trust in him but shall come to the ende of their hope euen the eternall saluation of their soules by him So that if any man be desirous or willing to vnderstand what it is to beleeue in Christ this one place may giue him ful satisfaction out of which as it hath beene shewed hee may learne that it is nothing else but to cast himselfe vpon Christ to bee iustified and saued by him Thevse of the worde being as hath beene said so diuerse in what sense shall we take it in this text That we shall knowe by vnderstanding what it was that Iohn laboured to perswade men to by his preaching For wee haue learned that his witnesse beareing was Teaching and wee see heere that the ende of his teaching was Beleefe that all men might beleeue What was this beleeuing Onely an aslenting to the truth of that which they heard Iohn deliuer If that had beene all surely hee would neuer haue taken so much paines and spent so much time in exhorting all men to consider their owne estate and in convincing them of sinne that they might finde in what neede they stood of deliuerance by the Messiah But that I may make as short as I can wee may fetch the aunswere to this doubt from the Apostle Paul who thus describes the office and doctrine of Iohn the Baptist Iohn verely baptized Act. 19. 4. with the baptisme of repentance saith the Apostle saying vnto the people that they should beleeue in him which should come after him that is in Christ Iesus So then whereas our Euangelist tells vs that the ende of Iohns comming was that all men shoulde beleeue hee giues vs to vnderstand that hee taught men the mystery of redemption by Christ though not so distinctly as it was afterwarde deliuered with a purpose and desire that they shoulde take our Sauiour CHRIST for the Messiah and rest vpon him that their sinnes might bee taken away Beholde saith hee the lambe of God that taketh away the sin of the world It is true that beleeuing properly signifieth no more but giuing credit or assenting to the truth but seeing wee finde the ende of Iohns preaching to reach farder then so wee must needs hold that the other degrees of beleeuing are implied in this one and first step to faith by which we are iustified The like we are to conceiue of the word wheresoeuer in the new Testament wee finde that ascribed to beleeuing which cannot be attain'd to but by faith in Christ I wil indeavor to make this plaine by an example or two He Mark 16. 16. that beleeueth is baptized shall be saued What is meant here by beleeuing Nothing but assenting to that which the Apostles taught in regard of the truth thereof But that cannot bring saluation to any man which is not to be obtain'd without resting vpon Christ for iustification Therefore to beleeue in that text of Mark is as much as to beleeue in Christ or to rely vpō Christ for saluation Dost thou beleeue in the Sonne of God saith Ioh. 9. 35. our Sauiour to the man whome hee had before restored to his sight He answered and said Who is hee Lord that I may beleeue in him And Iesus said Both thou hast seene him he it is that talketh with thee Then he said Lord I beleeue What did he beleeue That Christ was the Son of God Was that all Our Sauiour asked him if hee did beleeue in the Sonne of God Had it beene sufficient for him to professe that he beleeued him to be the Sonne of God No sure But it behoued him for the answering of the question to affirme that he beleeued in him
of it in this place First wee see that in the next verse before it is of necessarie vse Hee was not the light Take away the Article and reade it thus Hee was not light or a light This were to Ioh. 5. 35. affirme a direct vntruth contrarie to the Scriptures For Iohn as our Sauiour himselfe hath testified of him was a burning and a shining candle Therefore must wee so conceiue the Euangelist that hee denies him to haue bin The light not a light or light Secondly the doubling of the Article and applying it both to the Substantiue light and the Adiectiue true whereas vsually it belongs onely to the former in the nature of the tongue and practise of the Scripture notes vnto vs some thing more then ordinarie of that kinde Mat. 3. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereof there is speech This is that my Sonne that belouedone If the Article had bin left out in the later word any sonne might haue bin signified by that voice from heauen for ought the words necessarily imported But the repeating of it ties it as it were to the Person of our Sauiour Christ who was the onely naturall sonne of God his father And this is so much the more to bee considered because it is very rare in the Scripture to find examples of it Well then How shall wee translate it That was the light the true light These words expresse the Euangelists sense to the full yet leaue the Greek text vnblemished by putting the first and last words in a different letter from the rest as it is well obserued in our common translation that euery man may know what is in the Originall and what is added to set forth the holy Ghosts meaning according to the propertie of the seuerall tongues into which the Hebrew and Greeke are turned for the peoples vnderstanding But of the translation in this former part of the verse enough that which I haue to say concerning the later part I thinke best to reserue till I haue spoken of the distribution of the whole and come to the seuerall handling of that clause by it selfe In seeking out the distribution I doe not inquire into how many parcels or members the matter of it is to bee diuided which is commonly signified by that tearme distribution but I am to search first whether the whole verse be one proposition or sentence or els two In the first verse to make that I say plaine we had three seuerall propositions 1 The Worde was in the beginning 2. the Worde was with GOD 3. the Worde was GOD The second verse contained but one The same Worde was in the beginning with GOD. For although there bee at the least two diuers points in that sentence The Worde was in the beginning and the Worde was GOD yet they are comprised in one proposition So are they also in this verse which I now expound That was the true light the light inlighteneth euery man that cōmeth into the world Yet perhaps these two make but one proposition in the Euangelists writing If any man bee desirous to know why I cast this doubt here rather then in any of the former verses all which in a manner haue more sentences then one hee is to vnderstand that none of them afforded the like cause of doubting euery one hauing the seuerall propositions so distinct that they could not well bee tied altogether in one But heere the case is otherwise as you shall presently see For those wordes in the later part which haue a full sense in themselues may notwithstanding reasonably seeme to belong to the former part and to make vp the Antecedent or Subiect of the sentence Beare with mee I pray you a little in these tearmes I avoide them all I can and now I am forced to vse them I will doe my best to make you vnderstand them Euery sentence or proposition hath something as the ground and matter some other thing as an appurtenance to that which is eyther affirmed or denied of it As in the first verse The Words is the cheefe matter that which is auoucht of the worde is that hee was GOD. The worde therefore in that sentence is the Antecedent or Subiect GOD is the Consequent Attribute or Predicate Let me not trouble you too much with these words of Art but rather apply them as shortly as I can to the matter I haue in hand How this verse may well consist of two diuers sentences and what they are I signified before Let mee shew now in what sort they may bee shut vp both in one which may thus be done That light which inlighteneth euery man that commeth into the world was the light the true light The Antecedent or Subiect is The light which inlighteneth euery man c. Of this light it is affirmed that it was the true light Both the words will beare this disposing of the verse and the sense will bee good and fit yea I may say more The speech of the Euangelist may seeme more perfect in it selfe and to haue lesse neede of any supply if wee so vnderstand it For both the Greeke and the English may conueniently and easily bee conceiued if wee so reade and expound the verse without the expresse adding of any oher worde but That in the English The Greeke needes absolutely none at all Yet I rather choose to diuide the verse into two distinct propositions partly for the consent of all interpreters of it which I haue reade but especially because beeing so diuided it seemes to depend better vpon that which went before That light of which Iohn came to beare witnesse was the true light Which light also inlighteneth euery man that commeth into the world If any man list to take it the other way he may shew the agreement of it with the former in this sort Iohn was not the light That light which inlighteneth euery man c. was the true light Now this light is CHRIST as the Euangelist had said verse 4. That was the light of men But the other interpretation ioines somewhat more close to the later part of the verse going immediately before But was sent to beare witnes of the light That light was the true light c. The verse then hath two seuerall propositions or sentences to bee handled seuerally each by it selfe That was the light the true light First of the words what is meant by True What the Article being doubled imports Then of the Euangelists meaning and the Doctrine of the place Truth in the Scripture is commonly taken as the nature of the worde requires for that which is contrary to falshood Cast off lying saith the Apostle and let euery one Ephe. 4. 25. speake truth to his neighbour Sometimes it is put for that which is opposite to the shadowes of the Lawe The Ioh 1 17. lawe was giuen by Moses but grace and truth came by IESVS CHRIST And this sense hath also warrant from the vse of
their worldly cares or some other such respects from the due consideration of that whereof there is offer made them But the Hebrewes as Saint Paul there writes had receiued the light that is had giuen assent to the truth of that which was taught them and for the maintaining of it had indured as it is there witnesses greate fight in afflictions If we take the word in the former sense only for shining vpon the things that are needfull to bee seene that they may shew themselues vnto vs it is out of doubt that in respect thereof euery man is inlightned for so much as concernes the office of the light which is to make manifest those things that were not without it to be seene For so our Lord hath revealed the will of his Father concerning the meanes of saluation which Ioh. 1. 18. but by him had neuer beene publisht and proclaimed to al the world But this is rather lightning thē inlightning as he that carries a candle or torch with him inlightens not the party before whom he goes or to whō he comes but only lights him and in this sense our Sauiour doth but shewe men what is to bee beleeued Whereon there growes more question how it may be said that euery man is thus lighted For it is very manifest that there were many thousands in the world euen then when our Sauiour himselfe shone so brightly by his glorious workes and powerfull preaching who neuer heard or saw the one or other nor in any likelyhood of reason possibly could do What say I There were many thousandes I may truly say the thousand man then liuing neuer had nor could haue any sight of the light that then shined among the Iewes Yet I confesse that the light stretcht and spread his beames to the vttermost of his nature and strength Take example of the Sunne which in the height of summer riseth early mounts highe shines gloriously sets late and yet there are diuers nations in the worlde which haue not the least glimse of his light all the while he shewes himselfe to vs in these parts of the Hemisphere most apparant and bright Therefore when we read or heare That our Sauiour the true light lighteth euery man as much as in him lies we must not consider him as God but as the mediator of mankind become man As he was God he could haue giuen euery one then liuing in the worlde certaine knowledge that himselfe was ordained for the Sauiour of the world But he was heere to demeane him selfe as a person who by the diuine power of his Godhead could do al things but by the conditiō of his mediatorship was to doe no more then his humane nature might be known to be imployed in some way or other He taught the admirable secrets of God by his voice he wrought wōderful miracles by his almighty power but still it appeared to all men that by the word and wil of him whom they saw to be a man all those wonders weredon So then if we take this lightning of euery man for affording them the meanes of knowledge to saluation we must thus conceiue the matter that our Sauiour preacht and shew'd his miracles by himselfe and his Apostles and doth daily vouchsafe the knowledge of the truth to euery man without exception not forbidding his ministers to teach any man nor barring any from learning of them Let vs now see how we are to vnderstand the Euangelist that the true light inlightneth euery man Inlightning causeth him to discerne the truth of that which is deliuered so that the doctrine of the Gospell is alwaies effectuall to him that is inlightned The Lord opened the heart of Lydia that shee attended to the things that Paul Act. 16. 14. spake All that heard him were lighted but they only inlightned which beleeued the things hee spake How then may Christ be said to inlighten euery man since it is apparant many yea the greatest part beleeue not Surely the former answer satisfies this doubt very sufficiently Whosoeuer is inlightned hath this inlightning from the true light And this interpretation as I shewed before agreeth very well with the Euangelists words and meaning But let vs apply the common distinction to this purpose Christ inlightneth euery man as much as lies in him If wee vnderstand this of his absolute power wherby he is able as God to do al things it is manifestly false Else should euery man vndoubtedly beleeue For he is able to beget faith in the heart of euery man Therfore the most that can bee truly avoucht in this matter is this that hee is ready to inlightē euery man But this interpretation as far as I can conceiue doth not fully expresse the sense of the place if wee expound it of inlightning For it is one thing to inlighten an other thing to bee ready to inlighten What could the Euangelist say more of them that are actually inlightned I acknowledge the truth of the doctrine that our Lord is ready to refresh all that come vnto him to teach all that vse the meanes to learne but Mat. 11. 28. me thinkes this is not all that the holy Ghost in this place affirmes Therefore I had rather interpret the text either of lightning that the true light shines to all without exception no man being shut out from the hearing and reading of the Scriptures by any commaundement or restraint of the light it selfe or of inlightning that all which are made partakers thereof attaine to it only by this true light and both these expositions are true and may agree with the words meaning of the Euangelist to commend our Sauiour Christ as the true light of all men Now whereas some men herevpon would conclude that because the true light inlightens euery man therefore God hath not made choise of any man more then of all men to be heires of his glory in heauen they gather that which growes not of the text I will make it plaine by a short examination of the matter according to the former interpretations No man is barr'd the ministery of the worde Therefore saluation is intended alike to all If you adde in regard of the ministery thereof yet that you say will hardly proue true For though no man be abbridg'd of liberty to heare by any charge to the contrary from God yet many are not vouchsaf't the possibility of hearing How shall wee affirme then that in respect of the ministery of the worde saluation was intended alike to all I graunt that the meanes is affoorded in generall but I deny that therefore there is no difference in Gods purpose touching lightning of one nation more then of an other It is as free for any restraint made by God for the Turkes to haue the Gospell as for vs For they are Gentiles as well as wee But yet it were too greate vnthankfulnesse and absurdity to say that concerning the ministery of the worde God meant to light them to
signifies the earth the place where men ordinarily liue abide so that by Christs being in the world as I sayd his conuersing and liuing vpon the earth among men was noted In the second part The worlde was made by him that I may dispatch this point at once the worde is taken in the most generall sense for all thinges created heauen and earth and whatsoeuer is contained in them This last clause affordes vs a third signification of the worde more particularly then either of the other The world knewe him not It was not required nor could bee lookt for that the frame of the heauens or the Globe of the earth that the Sunne Moone or Starres that the beasts of the fielde the foules of the ayre or the fishes of the Sea shuld take knowledge of the Messiah None but such creatures as were indued with reason could bee capable thereof The Angells it concerned not neither are they at any time called the world It remaines then that by the world men onely are signified And of them it is sayd that They knew not Christ In what respecft did they not knowe him As hee is God Almightie the Creator and preseruer of all things he was generally acknowledged through the world For there neuer was any people so rude or barbarous but they had a perswasion that there was a God and that hee was to bee worshipt But herein as the Apostle sayth They are without excuse because knowing God they Rom. 1. 21. do not glorifie him as God neither are thankefull yea as it followeth afterwards they turne the truth of God into Ver. 25. a lye and worshippe and serue the creature rather then the Creator By which it is manifest that the Euangelist doth not speake heere of our Lords being in the world by his continuall prouidence and gouernment as I noted before Neither may wee vnderstand it of the Person which by no light of nature either bred in the soule or receiued from the creatures could possibly be descryed Therefore wee must needes interpret this knowledge of acknowledging our Sauiour for the Messiah and resting vpō him accordingly for spiritual deliuerance frō sinne death and damnation It is further to bee obserued in this part of the verse that the Euangelist chaungeth his speech and whereas before hee had spoken the light to which It should aunswere now in steede of that hee sayth him The worlde knewe him not Whome did not the worlde knowe In the next verse before hee mentioned the light Therefore he should now haue sayde The worlde knewe it not The Greeke expresseth neither It nor him in the two former clauses but because in this last the Euangelist expoundes himselfe saying him and not it therefore wee supply that worde in both the other As for the reason why Saint Iohn vseth the vseth the worde him wee must remember that hee speakes of the person of the Messiah howsoeuer hee describe him by calling him the life and the light Now to the person Hee and Him agree verie fitly In the Originall The Word is of the same gender that hee is of yet might wee not so speake of it in English but that wee haue respect in our speech rather to the person then to any titles by which he is described to vs. Thus then wee are to conceiue the Euangelists meaning that to amplifie the kindnesse of our Sauiour in offering saluation to the worlde hee sets foorth the great and incredible vnkindenesse of men who would not or at the least did not acknowledge him that they might bee saued But you will say This complaint is too generall against the world seeing it is well knowne euen by record in the Gospell it self that from time to time many beleeued in him This some men discerning restraine the worlde to the wicked of the Chrysost hom 7. in Ioan. world who refused to beleeue But the accusation in the Euangelist is all one though wee so expound it The worlde sayeth hee knewe him not And I thinke wee shall hardly finde the worlde anye where in Scripture taken for the wicked but where there is some opposition exprest or signified betwixt them and the godly I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast giuen mee out of the world Ioh 17 9 Who sees not that in this sentence the world or wicked are opposed to the godly whome the Lord hath chosen out of the world And yet euen in this and the like examples we may very well by the world vnderstand men in generall The worlde cannot hate Chap 7 7. you but mee it doth hate What is that else but as if our Lord should haue sayde men cannot hate you but they hate me It is true indeede that the reason of this hatred is the wickednesse of men but this wickednesse is so generall that it may truly be affirmed of the world in such generall tearmes The fore although some few whose hearts it pleased God extraordinarily to inlighten and incline did confesse him to bee the Messiah yet generally the world did not know him as Saint Iohn not without cause complaynes For to whome may it not worthily seeme strange that a personage of such worth excellency should make himselfe knowne to men in such a wonderfull sort and yet not bee acknowledged to bee such an one as apparantly he was The fame of his doctrine spred it selfe abroade in all places in so much that it was knowne in Rome The light of his glorious miracles shone farre and neere to all the Countries that bordered vpon Iewrie or had any ordinarie traffick with the Iewes in those parts Paul and Barnabas hauing wrought a miracle vpon a poore Cripple at Listra the people lifted vp their voyces saying in the Lycaonian tongue Gods are Act. 14. 11. come downe to vs in the likenesse of men Yea this opinion rested not among the common sort but stretched to the wise and learned in so much that Iupiters Priest Ver. 13. brought Bulles with Garlands and would haue sacrificed with the people Behold I pray you what effect one miracle was able to worke in the hearts of so great a multitude The workers of it were taken for Gods and those none of the meanest They called Barnabas Iupiter Ver. 12. and Paul Mercurie Iupiter was the chiefe of the Heathen Gods and Mercurie his sonne of especiall imployment in all matters of importance Neither stayed they here but prepared their sacrifices in the best manner Bulles with Garlands and brought them to bee offered vp Compare our Lords manie and admirable miracles with this one worke of the Apostles supposing it had beene done by their owne power and vertue Looke not that I should stand to reckon vppe the particulars take a viewe of them in grosse as they are reheaised to Iohns Disciples The blind receiued sight the halt were made able to goe the lepers Mat. 11 5. were cleansed the deafe had their hearing the
often as there is any mention of Gods speaking to man helping man or being conuersant with him but he neither brings example of it nor quotes any place onely hee boldly auoucheth that the learned shall finde it to be so euery where and the vnlearned must take it vpon his word and knowledge They that will may giue credit to his report but I am sure he that will compare the Originall Hebrew and the Chalde Paraphrase together shall not finde one place in 20. so translated if any at all be It is vsuall with the Paraphrast to put w for Iehouah not Memar I thought good to note this by the way that all men may know what credit such authors deserue vpon their word and yet he is otherwise one of the best interpreters that I haue read of the Papists But though the Chalde Paraphrast doe not alwayes nor perhaps often or euer so translate the word Iehouah yet he puts Memar sometime where God perchance the second person is signified x Gene. 22. 16 By my selfe haue I sworne saith God to Abraham The Hebrew is so and so the Apostle expoundeth it y Heb. 6. 13. when God made the promise to Abraham because he had no greater to sweareby hee swore by himselfe Here the Paraphrast hath Binenni by my word In an other place where the Lord assureth Iacob that * Gene. 28. 15 he will be with him and keepe him the Chalde hath My word shall be thy helpe A gaine when Laban pursued Iacob Moses tels vs that a Gene. 31. 24 God came to Laban the Aramite in a dreame by night said The Chalde saith Memar The or rather a word came from the face of God But none of these places vnles perhaps the 2. need to be or may be expounded of the 2. Person in the Trinity our Sauiour Iesus Christ There remaines the last not the most vnlikely reason why our Sauiour should be called the Word namely because he was so often spoken of promised by the Lord. Now a promise as in our ordinary speech so in the Scripture is cōmonly called a word the septuagint translate it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the name our Euangelist here vseth b Psal 105. 8. He hath remembred his couenant c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his word that he made to a thousand generations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in d Psal 119. 25. 119. Psal often Quicken me according to thy word e Verse 49. Remember the promise or word made to thy seruant f Verse 65. Thou hast dealt gratiously with thy seruant according to thy word g Verse 74. I haue trusted in thy word h Verse 76. According to thy word to thy seruant Where the Chalde hath the very word i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Memar So k psal 130. 5. Ps 130. I haue trusted in thy word The main promise thē being the Messiah that indeed wherupon al other that are truly blessings fauours depend it is no meruaile that the Iewes should speake ordinarily of our Sauiour as of him that was promised by the name word or that the holy Ghost should direct our Euangelist to make choice of that title for him by which the Iews that translated the old Testament out of Hebrew into Greeke so often expressed the promises of God Hereupon it followes that although diuers l Tertullian de Trinit saepe Cipria ad Quirin lib. 2. cap. 3. 6. Hilar. de Trinit lib. 2. Erasm Caloni Beza c. ancient later Diuines haue translated the Greek by the Latin Sermo speech yet it seemes better to cal it Verbū the word For a mans promise is not tearmed his speech but his word But this reasō of the name is excepted against by m Maldonatus ad hunc locum a learned Papist as well because of the authors therof who in his Pharisaicall censure are heriticks as also for that it hath in it no liklihood of truth if al that he speaks be oracles Let his slander go let vs heare his reason If the Son saith he be called the word because he was promised in the beginning he was not the word because he was not promised As if our Euangelist said He was the word in the beginning not rather The word was in the beginning that is as I will say anon whē I deliuer the sense of the Text He that was promised for the Messiah had already his being when all created things began first to be Therfore wee may boldly cōclude that this respect of the promise is either the true or at least a likely reason of the name whosoeuer mislike or cōdemn it If any mā be of opiniō that the Greek should rather be trāslated Wisdome or Reason thē word as indeed it signifieth the one as well as the other n Michael de Palatio in Ioan. cap. 1. enarrat 1. we may think that S. Iohn in this place alludes to that in the o Prou. 8. 22. Prouerbs where the Sonne of God is brought in vnder the name of wisdom speaking in this sort The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old I was set vp from euerlasting from the beginning before the earth c. This may seeme the more likely because as here so there also after the description of the word wisdome followes a discourse of the creation Here it is said that p Ioh. 1. 3. all things were made by the word q prou 8. 27. There Wisdome affirmes that she was present whē God prepared the heauens set the compasse vpon the deepe Neither only was she with him but as r Verse 30. a nourisher she maintained preserued all things which effect of preseruing nourishing diuers interpreters thinke to be signified in this chap. by those words ſ Iohn 1. 4. In it was life All which notwithstanding I had rather follow the translatiō which is most generally receiued especially since it is grounded vpon such great likelihood of reason that the Son may wel be signified to be the wisdom of God because he is the word of God both conceiued in the Father as the word t Isai 9. 6. reuealing to vs the wisdome of the Father promised u 8. Cor. 1. 30. made to be wisedome to vs. Therefore then is the Messiah fitly called the Word because he is in God as our inward conceptiō in vs because he hath declared vnto vs the wil of his Father and whatsoeuer else it seemeth good to the Lord to acquaint vs withal as it is manifest in this Chapter x Iohn 1. 18. No man hath seene God at any time but the only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father he hath declared him And lastly because he is the promised seede of whom as it is also in y Iohn 1. 45 this Chapter Moses and the Prophets
the godhead that there is but one God Secondly of the Trinity of the persons Where the first poynt must be to proue that there are three persons the second to shew how they are distinguisht one from an other And because there is in our Church seruice a treatise to this purpose knowne in part to all that are present commonly called the Creed of Athanasius who like a valiant champion maintein'd the godhead of Christ against the Assaults of Arius I will referre you from point to point to that discourse That there is but one God the same one God witnesseth himselfe in scripture o Exod. 20. 2. 3. I am the Lord thy God thou shalt haue none other Gods but me Which is not ambitiously spoken as if some one God would haue the honor froÌ„ all the rest but enioyned with authority by him who onely had right to claime such preheminence Els neither had he done done iustly that gaue this charge and how should he be conceiu'd to be God that is knowne to be vniust and the Iewes to whom he gaue it should haue hurt themselues as much by displeasing all the other Gods whom they refused to acknowledge as help themselues by pleasing that one whome they did acknowledge Vnlesle perhaps wee may ridiculously think that for quietnes sake the other Gods were content to put vp this iniury or that they were all agreed to part stakes as the heathen absurdly feyne of their three Gods Whereof Iupiter the eldest took heauen for his share Neptune the second got the gouernment of the Sea and Pluto the yongest rather then he would sit out quite was content to play small game as we say and to take Hell for his part rather then nothing These are liker fancies of men in a dreame then discourses of learned writers And yet neither could these three brothers well agree at all times and to say the truth Iupiter whom the other two aknowledged for their Soueraign was the onely God in the Iudgement of the heathen But whatsoeuer they imagined wee are sure our God doth so speake of himselfe p Deut. 32. 39. Behold now for I am he and there is no Gods with me That appeares by the effects I kill saith he giue life I wound and I make whole Are not these the works of god In whose haÌ„ds are death life but in Gods But hath this God only that power Are there not other that haue it aswell as he No sure as himselfe addeth There is none that can deliuer out of my hands Thus he speaketh of himselfe thus the prophet Moses q Exod. 33. 11. that talked with him face to face speaketh of him Vnto thee it was shew'd r Deut. 435. saith Moses to I srael that thou mightst knowe that the Lord hee is God and that there is none other but hee alone And afterward Vnderstand v. 39. therfore this day and consider in thy heart that the Lord he is God in heauen aboue and vpon the earth beneath there is none other I might recken vp many like testimonies But whom will not these content if enough will content him Will any foolish blasphemer now except against these proofes as if they were to be vnderstood of the general nature of God not of any one who onely is God how fond and absurd must such an exception needs bee seeing all men know by reason that generalls haue not any reall being diuers from the specials or species nor can be said to perform any particular action For example to make the matter as plaine as I can Man as it signifieth that nature which is common or generall to euery seuerall man is not any thing subsisting by itselfe but hath it whole being in the particulars of that kind Therefore also it cannot be said that the generall nature of man doth reason or speake but that this or that man doth so But God saith I kill giue life neither can the general nature which is leudly absurdly conceiv'd say truely of itselfe Behold I am hee and there are no gods with me neither were such a speech to any purpose or of any vse as if it were to bee thought that any man could imagin that there are more then one general nature of any one kinde There is then but one God only For if there were more God could not say there are no more euen as Adam after Caine and Abel were borne could not affirme That he alone was man and that there was none beside him The same trueth is confirmed in the new Testament by the Å¿ 1. Cor. 8 4. Apostle Paule We know saith he that an Idol is nothing in the world and that there is none other God but one As if he should haue said Howsoeuer there are diuers idols of this and that shape men idols and women Idols yet we know there are no such diuine powers in the world as these according to the fancy of men represent yea we are are sure there is but one God The heathen indeed haue many whom they call God and Lord but to vs that vnderstand the truth there is but one Ver. 6. God So doth the Scripture euerie where speake of God as of one t Rom. 1. 21. 23. When they knew God they glorified him not as God The glorie of the incorruptible God What shal I need to heape vp many testimonies in a case that is not doubtfull All the wise and learned both Christians Iewes Heathen agree with one consent that there cannot be any more then one God All this notwithstanding wee finde that in the Scripâ—ure there are more then one that are sayde to bee God First there is one called the Father whom al men acknowledge to be God u Rom. 1. 7. Grace be with you and peace from God our Father x 1 Cor. 8. 6. To vs there is but one God which is the Father y Eph. 1. 3. Blessed bee God euen the Father of our Lord Iesu Christ Secondly as I shewed before Iesus Christ or the Word is also vouched to bee God In the former verse The word was God * Rom. 9. 5. Christ is God ouer all belssed for euer Thirdly it is manifest in the same Scripture that the holy Ghost in like sort is God For although there be noâ— one place wherein hee is so tearmed by name yet the comparing of one text with another puts the matter out of question The Lord saith to the people of Israell that if a Num. 12 6. there be a Prophet amongst them he the Lord wil appear to him in a vision he will talke with him in a dreame It was the Lord therefore that spake in and by the Prophets This Lord saith b 1. Pet. 1. 11. Saint Peter was the spirit The spirit testified before of Christ c 2. Pet. 1. 21. Prophecie came not in olde time by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they
seueral man Paul Peter Iames and Iohn are foure men aswell as foure persons But the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are onely three persons and not three Gods For the establishing of your faith in this point I pray you remember that I haue made it euident to you out of the scripture both that euerie one of these is a seuerall person and also that they are all three but one God That euery one of them is God it hath been manifestly proued and no lesse that there is but one God Whereupon it must necessarily follow that they are all three not three Gods but one God And this is that which you haue set downe in the Creede named before l Athâ—nas Creed ver 3. That we worshippe one God in Trinitie and Trinitie in Vnitie that is one God and yet three persons Three persons and yet one God If any man for the satisfying of his minde desire farther to vnderstand the reason of this difference betwixt the Creator and the Creatures why euerie seuerall person amongst men should be also a seuerall man and not all one man and yet the three persons but one God he must knowe that this proceedes from the diuersitie of nature in God and man The nature of man being finit may be multiplyed into many seuerall men of the same kindes But the nature of God being infinit cannot possibly admitte any multiplication because there cannot be many infinits or infinit substances as there may be and are verie many finit substances seuerall and differing each from other He that can with iudgement and learning examine those points that concerne the nature of God may conceiue the truth of that I say they that cannot haue sufficient ground for their beliefe in the word of that God who neither can be deceiv'd in discerning his owne nature because he is infinitly wise nor will deceiue any man in speaking of it because hee is infinite in truth and goodnes â—et vs goe forwarde therefore to learne of him the doctrine of the Trinitie The word Trinitie as I sayd ere while of Person is in no place of Scripture but the thing being there we are not to refuse or mislike the word especially since it is of good vse and hath beene of so long continuance in the Chruch It is enough if wee vnderstand that whensoeuer the Trinitie is named all three persons are signified as for example when wee say the Trinitie is holy blessed and glorious wee meane that the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are holy blessed and glorious When wee say the Trinitie of persons it is our purpose to shew the nuÌ„ber of the persons that they are three These two points touching the vnitie of the god head and Trinitie of the persons are set out at large in l â—â—th mas Creed ver 3. 4. 5 c. Ver. 4. the forenamed Creed from the beginning of the third verse to the ende of the twentie one verse The summe of all is this that wee must neither confound the persons nor diuide the substance To confound in that place signifies to mingle together and so to make one of many and that is the verie naturall meaning of the Latine word So that when wee are forbidden to confound the persons wee are taught that wee may not so hold the vnitie of the Godhead that we denie the Trinitie of the persons and in stead of three make but one whereas Ver. 5. according to the next verse There is one person of the Father another of the Sonne and another of the holy Ghost and not one of all three Neither yet may wee diuide the substance as if the diuine nature were multiplied according to the number Ver. 6. 7. of the persons For as it followeth immediately the Godhead of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost is all one the glorie equall the maiestie coaeternall Therefore all the attributes properties and titles which appertaine to God belong equally and in the same respects to all onely they are distinguished by that which is proper to each person The particulars whereby Ve. 8 9. 10 c. this matter is declared in the same Creede are these To be vncreated Incomprehensible Eternall Almightie to be God and Lord. All these and all the rest of this kind which are many are common to all three persons because the nature of all three is one and the same wherefore although wee must acknowledge euerie person by himselfe Ver 19. to bee God and Lord yet wee may not say there are three Gods or three Lords Ver. 20. I haue shewed you that there is but one God which is three persons euerie one of them being alike and equall in all things that belong to the nature of the godhead It remaines that I should speake of the distinction of the three persons onely so farre as to make vs vnderstand wherein that distinction consists For the better conceiuing whereof wee may say in one word that the manner of being which each person hath proper to himselfe is that by which they are distinguished in all other things there is no reall distinction of any one of them from another The very names themselues which are giuen to them seuerally in Scripture point to the distinction that is amongst them The Father as euery man knowes in that hee is a Father or as hee is a Father is conceiv'd to bee of himselfe and to giue being to his Sonne Consider Adam the first man without looking backe to his creation by which he had his being from God but looke onely forward as hee was his Son Abels Father Do you not plainely perceiue that Adam thus considered is author oâ— Abels being Apply this to God the Father Being God hee canne in that regard haue no authour nor beginning of being Consider him as the Father Hee Ver. 21 is of himselfe not made not created not begotten not proceeding It is not possible truly to imagine any thing of his Being but that Hee is May wee reasonably affirme the like of the Sonne Surely as hee is God there can nothing be sayd or conceiv'd of the Father but may truely and must necessarily bee spoken and thought of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost seuerally aswel as of the Father wherin then lies the distinction Euery man can readily answer In his manner of being or in his being the Sonne Take the former example Adam and Abel are both men in respect of their humane nature there is no difference betwixt them What then Is there none at all therefore yes sure Adam hath not his being of any other as hee is a Father Abell hath his as hee is a Sonne of his Father Adam Let it not trouble you that I mention a difference betwixt Adam and Abell and acknowledge no difference but onely a distinction betwixt God the Father and the Sonne the reason is because Adam and Abell are as two persons so two men 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
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
But these mē will not beleeue that there is any such life in Christ I would to God I were able to perswade thē but to make som litle trial O! if they would be cōtented but to rest vpō him for life how quickly should they find his promise true certain Be perswaded be intreated I beseech you by the loue of life which you so desire what shall you lose by it If that we preach be false yet shal the rest of your yeers be spent in more hope cōfort If you know any better waie to prouide for your selues in kindnes humanity impart that at knowledge to vs. If you do not in quilitie good manners cōdemne vs not till vpon triall you can disproue vs. Life you earnestly desire euen bodily life refuse it not when it is oftred you without any danger of losse if you should be deceiued I am come now at the last to the chiefe point of all which is life euerlasting begun as I said ere-while in this world by the forgiuing of sin perfited in the next by the giuing of glory Of which notwithstāding I intēd not to say much because being the maine matter of the Gospell euery chapter almost will afford me necessary occasion to intreat therof Shortly for the proofe of the point that eternall death and condemnation are compriz'd in that threating a Gen. 2. 17. Thou shalt die the death I appeale to the whole course of the scripture and the ioint consent of all that euer profest true religion Iewes Christians But it is manifest enough by the deliuerance wee haue through Christ that I may make one labour of two b Iob. 3. 17. God sent not his Sonne into the world that he should condemne the world but that the world through him might be saved He Ver. 18. that beleeueth in him shall not be condemned but he that beleeueth not is condemned already Yea such is the redemption which we haue by Iesus Christ c Iob. 5. 24. that he which beleeueth hath passed from death to life What is this passing from death to life but obteining forgiuenes of sinnes being reconciled to God whose wrath otherwise abideth in vs to condemnation God hath set forth Iesus Christ d Rom. 3. 25. saith the Apostle to bee apropitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse by the forgiuenes of sinnes that are past e Rom. 5. 10. If when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more beeing reeonciled we shall be saued by his life But I forget my selfe in staying too long in this discourse wherein the new Testament is so plentifull and easie to bee vnderstood Neither is the point of euerlasting life either harder or rarer This one Gospell of S. Iohn hath not so few as twenty seuerall places to that purpose f 10. 3. 16. God so loued the world that hee gaue his onely begotten sonne that who soeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting This is the will of him that sent me that euery man which seeth the son beleeueth in him should haue euerlasting life g Ioh. 6. 40. I will raise him vp at the last day Look not that I should go forward in this course or spēd time in amplifying the vnspeakable glory of that life For the one I refer al men to the reading of this gospel especially the chapters I named before and concerning the other all I can possibly say of it is lesse then nothing in comparison of the thing it selfe Therefore also I hold it in a manner needlesse to enter into any course of exhortation For who can hear of these kindes of life in our Sauiour and not be carried to him for the enioying of them with all speed and means he can possibly make Let it be a small thing for a man to bee dead in sinne because perhaps he feeles it not Let the life of righteousnesse be little accounted of ov reason of the pleasure we take in sinning Let vs despie bodily death as a common matter Let vs not reguard the resurrection of the flesh as long as the soul is immortall Shall not feare of damnation for euer in hel fire affright vs Shall not hope of eternall ioy in heauen delight vs Is it nothing to indure most horrible torments without ease or ende Is it nothing to be partaker of such pleasure as cannot be conceiu'd without danger or feare of change What is the immortality of the soule of which thou bragst but an immortall miserie The more thou art perswaded of the euerlasting continuance thereof the greater knowledge thou hast of thine owne endlesse calamitie Whereas if once thou come to bee ioined to Christ the farderthou seest into the continuance of thy life the more thou art inflamed with a delight to liue But now I haue brought thee where this life is to bee had I will shew thee how it is to bee attained In him was life Where though it may seeme that the Euangelist sayes no more but he is life or life is by him yet indeed the speech is more significant First in respect of life the manner of speaking makes difference in the thing For when the scripture saith that Christ is life the word is to be taken for the cause of life h Iohn 11. 25. I am the resurrection and the life saith our Sauiour and again I i Ioh. 14. 6. am the way the truth the life So speakes k Col. 3. 4. the Apostle of him When Christ your life shal appear Who see not that by life in these places the author of life or life as it is in the cause thereof is vnderstood But in the other phrase the same thing is noted as it is imparted by him to vs. l 1 Ioh. 5 11. God hath giuen vs euerlasting life and that life is in his sonne Wee haue example of both these in one place yee are dead saith m Col. 3. 3. 4. the Apostle and your life is hidwith God in Christ What life That same life which Christ hath communicated to you and by which you liue What followes When Christ your life shall appeare How is Christ their life By giuing them life And as in this kind of speech wee may easily discerne some reason of the difference that the scripture obserueth so may wee also in the other Sometimes n Cor. 1. 30. the holy Ghost saith that Christ is made vnto vs wisedome righteousnesse c. What is this els but that wee receiue these things from Christ as the autor and cause therof Somtimes life is said to be in him so we are said to bee in Christ Iesus o 1 Ioh 5. 11. yee are of him in Christ as in the place I named before p Rom. 8 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Now in these speeches and the like not onely
vs. Hee is the husband we are the wife Eue was bone of Adams bone not Verse 30. he of hers Yet when they were ioined together in marriage they were both but one flesh It is then apparant verse 31. by this similitude that we being thus spiritually become one with Chr. haue the same life which is in him as the Verse 32. wife hath the same flesh or rather is the same flesh with her husband The other similitude is of the head body which liue by the same spirit of life resting originally in the head and from thence dispersing it selfe into all the members of the body This also the same Apostle setteth forth in the same Epistle It will be sufficient to rehearse his words Let vs y Fph 4. 35. 16 saith he follow the truth in loue and in all things grow vp into him which is the head euen Christ By whom at the body being coupled kint together by euery ioynt for the furniture thereof according to the effectuall power in the measure of euery part receiueth increase of the body vnto the edifying of it selfe in loue Therefore doth he often call the Church the body of Christ * Fph. 1. 22. 23. God hath appointed him ouer all the head to the Church which is his body a Fphâ—â— 5 23. Christ is the head of the Church the same is the Sauiour of his body b Col. 1. 18. He is the head of the body of the Church Giue eare now with attention and take knowledge of the assurance of your life Why do you shrinke and quake at the mention of death Euen when your are dead you are still aliue Are you not one with Iesus Christ Are you not bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh Are not you and he one flesh Doth not euery man nourish cherish his owne flesh And will Christ thinke you suffer his flesh to be destroied by death What dost thou tell me of the decay of thy strength that thy sight waxeth dimme thy leggs feeble thine armes weake and all thy senses begin to fayle thee Is not Christ aliue Or canst thou dy as long as hee liues Thou art but the least part of thy selfe thy husband is thy head and thy life And whereas thou art now a-dying it is not for thy destruction but for the abolishing of that which makes thee subiect to dy Christ thy husband doth not meane to forgoe thee but to ioyne thee neerer to him Wouldst thou bring a mortall carcase into heauen Wouldest thou bee continually in danger of dying Is it not better once to endure it then alwaies to feare it A quarter of an howers worke will rid thee of all paine for euer How wilt thou wonder at thy selfe when thou shalt behold the glory of that body which thou left'st naked and miserable Shal I need to put thee in minde of thy happinesse Dost thou remember that thou art a part of Iesus Christs body Hath he any dead part trow'st thou Thou canst not imagin that any man of reason would suffer his enimies to dismember his body or to depriue the least finger he hath of life or sense How then should Christ endure such a mayme But what talke I of bereauing his members of life As if it were any way possible that deathshould be in that part in which life is continued Wait the time that God hath appointed for thy quicking Thou art but dressing attiring that thou mai'st be a fit Bride for an immortal Bridegrome As for condemnation to hel fire the second death be not so iniurious to the Maiestie of Christ as once to think that any member of his body can bee lyable to damnation c Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ VVho shall laye anything to the charge of Iesus Christ Canst thou bee condemned and hee acquited Can the head bee in heauen and the members in hell Father d Iohn 17. 24. saith our Sauiour I will that they which thou hast giuen me be with me euen where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast giuen me Can the first fruites bee holy and the lumpe vncleane Can the head raigne in glory and the members bee plunged in the pit of damnation Assure thy selfe if there bee life in Christ thou one of his members thy part is in it He bought thee too deare now to lose thee or let thee be taken from him Besides hee hath openly confest that hee receiued a charge from God his Father to see that none shoulde perish that belieu'd in him and e Ioh. 6 40. hee hath profest that hee will discharge the trust reposed in him I will raise him vp at the last day Hee that eateth my flesh and Verse 54. Ver. 56. drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I n will raise him vp at the last day In him as it followeth Christ dwels and he in Christ Then must hee needs be sure of euerlasting li'e that lodgeth such a guest A guest that hath life in him as in the fountaine therof from whence it floweth to al those that are ioâ—ned to him For although our Euangelist say In him was life not Is life yet he may no more be thought once to haue had it now to be without it theÌ„ once to haue bin God now not to be so But that all doubt of this matter may be taken a way we must call to minde that which we heard before of the reasons why this maner of speech is vsed First then for I will now sett it in the first place because it is the plainest hath least need of any explication we may well reasonably imagine that the Evangelist continues his former kind of speech The word was in the beginning was with God was God All things were made by him nothing was made without him was it not fitter then to say In him was then in him is life that the whole description of him may bee deliuered in the like tearmes This might serue in my poor opinion to satisfy any man concerning the worde Yet because there are some other reasons of it alleaged those both true for the doctrine they teach not vnfit for the text it selfe I will make bold to stand a little vpon them the rather because I perceiue I shall not end these 2 verses in this one exercise as I purposed and desired to do The former reason of the word was depends vpon the like course the EuaÌ„gelist takes in the rest of his description those that now I am to handle concerne the time either before our Sauiours being in the world or while he was in the world The time before either reaches to eternity before all beginning or at the least makes it self equall to the continuance of the world after the fall of Adam til the coÌ„ming of Christ in the flesh If wee apply it to eternity who
labour will serue because there would haue beene no doubt of the meaning but for the needlesse curiositie of some that make themselues worke where they finde none What reasonable man would make any question but that the Euangelist in both clauses speakes of the same life In him was life What followes And that life was the light of men What life thinke you Any other then that he named presently yea immediatly before I say these meÌ„ else why hath hee added the article in this later part which he had omitted in the former what needs all this adoe about the Article How vaine and false the obseruation is that hath no better ground then the presence or absence of the article I shewed in expounding the first verse against the Arians Here is lesse colour for the profe of any difference First the course of writing which the Euangelist hath hitherto kept in the beginning of this Gospell makes it euident and certaine that the same life is meant in both places In the beginning was the word and the word was with God It is ridiculous to imagine that the word which was in the beginning should be any other word then that which was with God By him were all things made without him was nothing made that was made Without whom was nothing made without him by whom all things were made So in this verse the repeating of the same word teacheth vs that the same life and no other is signified Secondly there may sufficient reason be giuen why it was requisite if not necessary to adde the article in the later part Let vs make the Euangelist speake without it In him was life What then And life was the light of men Who can reasonably conceiue what life he meanes In the first verse I shew'd that there was good reason to place the Article before word that it might the easilier appeare whether the Euangelist intended to say The word was God or God was the Word The case is much a like Take away the Article and wee may well thinke that Saint Iohn tels vâ— that the light was life rather then that the life was the light of men Hee could not then speake otherwise if hee would speake plaine In him was life and that life was the light of men As for his omitting it in the first place it is vsuall with all our authors both diuine and humane to put it in or leaue it out at their pleasure The same life then which was in the Word was also the light of men But what light was that For the word may bee taken in diuers senses The most proper and ordinarie vse of light is to signifie that visible creature made by God * Gen. 1. 3. the first day of the creation by which all things afterward to bee created might be seene and they that had eyes might see But of this light there is no occasion to speake in this place neither was it in the Messiah and it is common to all creatures that can see as well as to men From this proper signification the word is applyed by a certaine resemblance to note out the instructing and teaching of the minde which is as iâ— were inlightned with knowledge whereby the vnderstanding is fitted to iudge of truth as the bodily eye discerneth colours This our Sauiour himselfe decleares both for the proper and figuratiue vse of the word I thinke it is not amisse to recite the place at large The light of the bodie a Luk. 11. 34. sayeth hee is the eye Not as the fountaine or spring of light but as the pipe which receiues and conueyes it to the vse of the body Therefore when thine eye is single then is they whole bodie light As the water that is taken out of the Well where it ariseth pure and cleane is so brought to the Cisterne if the pipe bee sweete and without filth so if the eye bee not dimd nor tainted with any euill humor the whole body receiues the light as it is bright and cleare But if thine eye bee euill sayth the text then the body is darke A Ver. 34. bad sight changeth light into darkenesse or at the least discernes not the brightnesse of it Take heede therefore sayth Christ that the light which is in thee bee not darkened What is the light that is in a man but the vnderstanding Therefore also it is often called by the name of eyes b Pal. 19. 8. The Commandement of the Lord is pure and giueth light vnto the eyes The Sunne inlightens the eyes of the body but the knowledge of the wil of God is that which maketh the vnderstaÌ„ding see Open mineeies saith the c Psal 1 19. 18. Prophet that I may see the wonders of thy law That the eyes of your vnderstanding may be lightned d â—â— ph 1. 18. sayth the Apostle that yee may knowe what is the hope of his calling This is that the Iewes commonly bragd of though falsely e Rom. 2. 19. That they were guides of the blinde alight to them which are in darkenes namely in the darknesse of ignoâ—ance not vndestanding the true way of righteousnes Now this light by which the vnderstanding is inabled to knowe and iudge is of two kindes naturall or supernatural which we also call spirituall The naturall light is that which we haue from God by nature either bred in vs with reason or gotten by reading hearing obseruation studying and such other meanes Of this speakes f Eceles 1. 13. the wise King I gaue heart sayth hee to search and finde out wisedome by all things that are done vnder the heauen This is that wisedome of the Aegyptians g Act. 7. 22. wherein Moses was learned The supernatural light is that knowledge of matters concerning euerlasting life which wee receiue froÌ„ God in the scriptures or by the ministery of men according to the trueth therein reuealed We speak e the wisedome of God in a mysterie sayth h 1. Cor. 2. 7. the Apostle euen the hidden wisedome which God had determined before the world to our glory These are the treasures of wisdome and knowledge al which i Col. 2. 3. the Apostle saith are hidin Christ who hath sent his Apostles and Ministers To make cleere vnto all men as k Eph. 39. Saint Paul sayth what the fellowship of the mysterie is which from the beginning of the world hath beene hid in God who hath created all thinges by Iesus Christ to the intent that now vnto principalities and powers in heauenly places might be knowne by the Church the manifold wisdom of God These are the two kindes of light whereby the vnderstanding of man is inlightned and instructed The questioÌ„ is whether of these two the holy Ghost meaneth in this place A question easie to bee aunswered will some man say For seeing it was proued that by life in the former part of the verse not the naturall but the supernaturall life was
not Yet the force of the light appeares in some who by it attaine to knowledge and saluation But this belongs to an other place and discourse let vs go forward in our exposition Wherein we are first to consider the words then to deliuer the sense The words are not so doubtfull in themselues as the varietie of interpretations hath made them which indeede is so great that if I should handle them at large both you and I should be sooner wearied then edified I will therefore content my selfe with some little speech concerning the diuersitie of the expositions And therein first wee must see what light it is the Euangelist speakes of then what hee saies of it that it shineth in darknes By light generallie CHRIST or his doctrine or both are thought to bee signified The variety of opinions principallie consists in the diuers respects in which hee may bee conceiued to bee spoken of All which may bee referred to these two heads his diuine Nature or his Person And so much of these respects in generall the particulars I must needs reserue till I haue shewed what is meant by darknes and not comprehending for without the knowledge of them this cannot be vnderstood In the meane while wee may easily ghesse at the Euangelists meaning if wee assure our selues as there is good cause wee should that the light here is all one with that in the former verse Whereof who can reasonably make any doubt Hath not the Euangelist held the same course before One and the same worde was in the beginning was God was with God By the same word were all things made nothing was made without him In him was life and that life which was in him was the light of men And the light shineth What light but that which he named in the clause before Now that both the person and the doctrine may well bee vnderstood by this light it is cleare by that which our Sauiour often saith of himselfe in this Gospellâ— I am Ioh. 8. 12. 1. 46. the light of the world I am come a light into the world And that this belongs to his person it is manifest because he restraines this light to his continuance in the world While I am in the world I am the light of the world walk while yee haue the light while ye haue the light beleeue in the 9. 5. 12. 35. 36. light But what neede I goe any further then this chapter What was Iohns witnesse but that Iesus was the Lambe of Ioh. 1. 6. 7. Ver. 29. Ver. 33. God that takes away the sinnes of the world That hee was the Messiah whome the father had sent Therefore doth hee as it were point him out Iohn seeth Iesus comming vnto him and saith Behold the Lambe of God And Ver. 29. Ver. 36. he beheld IESVS walking by and said Behold the Lamb of God What should I vse many words It not his person signified when Saint Iohn saith In him was Ver. 4. life It is then truely said of our Sauiours person that hee is light and shineth But how is our Sauiour light Not onely as by his diuine power he giues vs light through the worke of his Spirit in our hearts whereof in this place our Euangelist doth not speake but also in regard of the doctrine of euerlasting life which hee preached in his owne person while hee liued here amongst men and now teacheth dayly by those whome hee hath made his Ambassadors to intreat men on his behalfe and in his name that they 2. Cor. 5. 19. would bee reconciled vnto God Let vs see howe this may bee prooued Light is come into the world saith Ioh. 3. 19. our Sauiour and men loued darknesse more then light What light Namely the true knowledge of saluation whereof our Sauiour had discoursed before to Nicodemus not without his wonder and astonishment How Ver. 4. can a man be borne which is olde sayd Nicodemus when Christ preached to him of regeneration by water and the spirit without which no man can enter into heauen Afterward when he labord to instruct him in the knowledge of his corrupt naturall estate and shewd him that the spirit inlightens whome hee pleaseth as the winde blowes where it list How can these things be sayd Nicodemus Ver. 9. The world can not abide this light which discouers the shame and miserie of her darknes Men had rather continue a good opinion of their owne vertue and holines though with error then forgoe that proud conceit they haue naturally of themselues by seeing their sinnes layde open by the light of truth Thus was Christ the light of the world while he was in the world because Ioh. 9. 5. he preacht the Gospell to as many as would heare it And this was the light which shuld not as he threatens them alwaies be with them So then by light the doctrin of the Gospell and knowledge of euerlasting life is vnderstood and the person of our Sauiour there by signified so farre as concernes his deliuering and teaching of that mystery This being thus conceiued it is no hard matter to knowe what is ment by shining What else shewing and manifesting it selfe so that they which wil may see it and by it see the way to euerlasting life No man lighteth Mat. 5. 15. a candle to put it vnder a bushel but to set it on a Candlesticke that it may giue light to all that are in the house Let your light so shine before men saith our Sauiour applying the former similitude that they may see your good workes 〈◊〉 le si 〈◊〉 Arian â—â— 3. cap. 3. They that would haue the place vnderstood of that inlighting by which Christ makes vs discerne the truth of that which is taught vs doe not put any difference betwixt shining and inlighting whereas it is plaine that the holy Ghost in this place intends not to entreat of the effect in the hearts of men but of the natural property and immediate act of the light Neither doth this sense of word wel agree with that which followeth And the darknesse comprehended it not Is not this contrary to the former If the light shine so that it inlighten the darknesse how can it bee said that the darknesse doth not comprehend it For it will appeare anone that by not comprehending not acknowledging or not receiuing the light is signified But although the darknes bee not cleered and made bright by the light yet the light it self shineth that is casteth and spreadeth abroad his beams Doth not the Sun shine but when it is seene Shines it not vpon the blind Euen so the light of truth glistereth brightly though it be not discernd by theÌ„ on whoÌ„ it fals But this as I noted before is easily acknowledged the greatest doubt is why the euangelist changeth his manner of speech and speakes of the persent time The light shineth We haue had nothing hitherto but of the
hee might haue said The true light then which what can bee said more All this contented not the holy Ghost but that he might rauish vs with the loue and admiration of this light hee calls it The light the true light Some apply it more particularly and pâ—ecisely to our Sauiour in these two considerations The light say they with an Article to note the excellencie of the Person The true light with the same Article repeated to signifie the glorie and brightness of that knowledge which flowes to men from that light I deny not but the Euangelist comprizeth both vnder these wordes I doubt whether hee intended to giue vs notice of them so distinctly by the repetition of the Article or no. It remaines that I deliuer the plaine meaning of the Euangelist and declare the Doctrine conteyned in it Wherein I may and will bee the shorter because somwhat hath bin said already of each in examining the former points What then meanes Saint Iohn by these wordes That was the light c. Hee had told vs in the last verse that Iohn the Baptist was not the light but was sent before as a seruant to giue notice and to beare witness of the light Now hee proceedes to shew vs the excellencie of that light in respect of whom Iohn though hee were of so rare giftes and highe account was no body Looke vpon the Moone in the night time when shee is at the full and you would thinke you had light enough Surely hee that had neuer seene the Sunne would easily bee perswaded to take the Moone for the Well or spring of light But if hee should once come to see the beauty and brightness of the sunne hee would be ashamed of his former childishness and ignorance that thought that to bee all which in a manner was nothing at all The Doctrine is as plaine and was handled more largely at the 4. and 5. verses CHRIST is the true light There are candles and torches here on earth men that haue discouered some truth concerning God There are Starres and Moones shining from heauen Such as by supernaturall illumination haue reuealed many and great mysteries concerning our redemption and saluation by IESVS CHRIST But all these are nothing to him If it were possible to ioine all the lights I spake of together would they match the brightnes of the sunne How much lesse can these torches and starres which haue all their light from the Sonne of God equall the autor and giuer of that light Let the light they giue bee as great as it can reasonably bee imagined to bee yet are they not the true light what doe wee then gazing and gaping vpon Men as if there were no light but in them If any man haue a little more knowledge then others that hee can teach vs somewhat which euerie one is not acquainted withall wee wonder at him as the onely light Yea wee are oftentimes so carried away with a conceite of his brightness that the light it selfe is either despised or forgotten in comparison of him It was somwhat more excusable in the Iewes though it were intollerable to preferre Iohn before CHRIST because they had settled a reuerend opinion of him in their hearts when they had no thought of any other Messiah But how shall wee bee excused that know who is the light and yet dote vpon other so much that wee hardly thinke on him Hee that fits our humour either with some point of Diuinitie which wee knew not or with some worde of exhortation that wee desired is so admired and followed that wee are ready to receiue any thing hee will deliuer vnto vs for truth without viewing it by the true light I speake not this to disgrace Iohn but to magnifie Christ Iohn was a light but not the light To speake truely and plainely Iohn was no light at all as our Euangelist affirmed in the former verse Hee was a candlestick or a torch-bearer to holde out and shew the light but the light hee was not Hee glistered in the eyes of men as a peece of glasse or any burnisht metall doth vpon which the sunne or some other light beates which is not seene of vs but by reflexion at the second hand To conclude that which the Euangelist saith here of our Sauiour is the very same that the Baptist woulde teach his disciples whome hee sent to Iesus saying Art thou he that should come or shall we looke for an other Iohn knew well enough that Iesus was the Sauiour as hee testified at the time of his baptisme and Mat. 11. 2. 3. afterward but his Schollers were not so perswaded Therefore hee sends them on such a message that they might themselues discerne him to bee the light This is that which the Apostles auouched after his death that There is no other name vnder heauen by which we Act. 4. 12. can be saued Miserable then and damnable is the case of those men who for any benefit and commoditie in this world or for any paine and torment that can be here indured for a time renounce the Sauiour of their soules and light of eternall life Iesus Christ Doe you maruell brethren what should make me breake out into such a speech in this Auditorie All of vs professe beleefe in Christ we haue all bin baptized wee haue all bin taught Put case wee did all beleeue indeede for the perswasion of the truth wee now maintaine as wee haue bin taught were it therefore needeless to vse any word of exhortation to confirme vs in the truth Is not our Faith nourisht and strengthened in vs by the same meanes by which it is begotten I say nothing of our naturall ignorance which had neede of much teaching I let passe our shuttle memories which easily forget that wee haue learned Let mee omitt our vnruly affections which draw vs away from the meditation of those things that concerne saluation Shall I tell you in one worde why I haue entred into this course vpon a point so well knowne and generally resolued of Did none of you euer heare of any Christians of any Euglishmen that haue denied the faith of CHRIST and become Renegados I must needes confesse I speake vpon report not vpon sight or experience but yet vpon such report as I haue good cause to credit both for the honestie and the number of the reporters It hath come to passe my heart bleeds within mee to thinke and vtter it yea it doth fall out daily a great deale too often that men trained vp here amongst vs in the religion of IESVS CHRIST for some worldly respects without conscience of their profession without care of their soules without regard of their credits without feare of damnation haue blasphemed the Lord IESVS CHRIST that died for them and turned Turkes O the weakness of our faith O the strength of our corruption O the hypocrisie of our hearts That which happeneth to one man may happen to any man Doest thou beleeue So they
thinges were made who is the life of men But what reason should leade vs to apply this to naturall light seeing wee haue made it manifest that in the former verses it is to bee vnderstoode of that which is supernaturall Why should wee giue the worde light such a signification heere as it hath no where else in all the Scripture But it is no where vsed for the light of reason which wee haue by nature nor for that generall knowledge of GOD which wee partly bring with vs into the world and partly attaine to by the contemplation of the creatures Wherefore wee must needes conceiue that the Euangelist speakes of that lights which men receiue by Reuelation from GOD concerning the meanes of euerlasting life by faith in Christ of which the greatest part of the worlde neuer had any notice It behooues vs then to consider the poynt with good aduise that wee may vnderstande the Euangelists meaning aright and neither deny that our Sauiour inlightneth euerie man nor confesse that euerie man is inlightned with the knowledge of him to saluation The auncient Diuines of former ages seeing these inconveniences and desiring to prouide some rerredy for them by their meditation and learning did find out and leaue vnto vs 2 espseciall answers for the satisfying of these doubts First they teach vs that Christ Aug. Enchirid ad Laurent cap. 103 Depeccat merit 8 remiss ◠1. c. 25 may truely be said to enlighten euery man because no man is inlightned but by him If there were but one Physician or one Schoolemaster in this Citty of that one it might truly be affirmed that he taught all that he cured all This is he might we say that cureth euery man This is he that teacheth euery one Not meaning thereby that euery particular man woman and childe in the Citty is taught or healed but signifying in generall that there is no other Physician no other teacher by which any one receiues health or instruction So our Sauiour Christ may be conceiu'd to inlighten euery mā because euery one that is inlightned hath that light from him and not because euery one is inlightned So that Saint Iohns meaning according to this interpretation must be thus vnderstood Iesus of whome Iohn bare witnesse was the true light and whosoeuer is inlightned is inlightned by him This exposition as euery man may easily discerne agreeth very fitly with the former part and proueth it very strongly For indeed what sounder proofe can we require to assure vs that our Lorde was the true light then that euery man fetcheth all the light he hath from him Either we must grant that no man at all hath any light of grace or else yeeld that he from whom he hath that light is the true light The former is not doubted of How then shoulde the later bee in question The second answere doth not so much respect the partyes inlightned as him that doth inlighten who shineth to euery man that will open his eies to behold him For as the naturall light spreadeth the beames thereof abroad in al places and giueth light to euery man as much as lyes in it though blinde men see neuer a whit the better So this true light offereth himselfe to al men shineth vpon euery man that who so wil may bee inlightned by him It may seem perhaps to some man that inlightning signifies a farder matter then shining vpon a man and so I remember it was obserued at verse the fift The light shineth in darknesse Those blind men I named ere while had the Sunne shining on them but yet they were not inlightned vnlesse by inlightning we vnderstand no more but being made visible that we may be seene And in that sense indeed a tree or a stone is inlightned by the Sunne as wel as any liuing creature that hath eies to see withal This cannot bee the meaning of the Euangelist For he speakes not of any mans being made knowne or apparant to other men but of euery mans knoweing and seeing those matters which concerne his everlasting saluation That is to bee inlightned to haue the doctrine of saluation declared to him so that hee discerne and acknowledge it for such the truth thereof being made manifest to his conscience or at the least the sense of that which is deliuered being euident and cleere vnto him If this later point bee not performed surely there is no inlightning but at the most shining The word which our Euangelist vseth in this place signifieth in the Scripture both the holding out of light by which things may be made visible to men and the giuing of them sight by which they may see Candles are said to light vs with their brightnesse that is to afford Luk. 11. 36. vs light by meanes whereof things may bee seene And in this sense the things that are seene to speake truly and properly are inlightned and not wee in whom there is no alteration by the presence of the light but only the forme or shape of that which is to be seene is presented to our view by the light shining vpon it and bringing the proportion and colours of it to our eies This signification of the word is the more common of the 2 Iudge nothing before the time vntill the Lorde come who will lighten things that are hid in darknesse 1. Cor. 4. 5. In this place of Scripture as euery one sees the lightning is referred to the things that shall be seene which being hidden shall be discoured and made visible or rather layd open to all mens view But the Scripture hath examples of the other signification also I cease not saith the Apostle to giue thanks for you making mention Eph. 1. 16. of you in my prayers c. that the eies of your vnderstanding may bee inlightned that you may knowe what the Verse 18. hope is of your calling c. This inlightning of the eies of the vnderstanding is not onely affording of light by which the things themselues that are to bee seene may become visible for that is done by the ministery of the worde whereby the hidden mysteries of saluation are revealed to all that will heare but an opening of the heart and an inward teaching of those secrets so that a man shall thereby bee perswaded of the truth thereof For the Ephesians to whom the Apostle writ this had heard the Gospell preached by Saint Paul himselfe and by that peaching of his had the light vouchsaf't them by which the knowledge of saluation might be had and in some measure also had attained to the vnderstanding and acknowledging of the truth which the Apostles praye to haue farder reuealed to them that they might beleeue and embrace it This the same Apostle in an other place calls the receiuing of light Many haue light and Heb. 10. 32. knoweledge offered them but they receiue it not either because it seemes not worth the receiuing or for that they are drawne away by
to their opinion who vnderstand this place of Gaudentius in Euang. tract 12 our Lords being in the world all the time he liued here â—pon earth in the nature and shape of man The reasons whereby some men would prooue the contrarie are of no great force They say Saint Iohn would cleere our Sauiour from being thought to haue beene in fault that men did not beleeue and from being supposed to bee a creature But both these doubts were satisfied before more sufficiently and the later ariseth onely from that which is heere affirmed Hee was in the world as if the Euangelist had made himselfe more worke then needed It was sayde before that the light shineth in darkenesseâ— that it lighteth or inlightneth euerie man Yea the fault of not beleeuing was layde where it is The darkenesse comprehended it not How then could the light bee suspected Or how should hee bee taken to bee a creature but in regard of his manhood which is no error nor inconuenience Hee was auoucht before to be God and to haue made all things none excepted Now then seeing wee haue found that This being in the world is to bee vnderstood of our Sauiours conuersing with men here in the flesh it is no hard matter to know what is meant by the world from thence to gather the meaning of the Euangelist What is the world what else but the earth Therefore when the Euangelist saith He was in the world his meaning is that the Messiah of whom he hath spoken so much was conuersant here vpon earth amongst men This he deliuereth here in this general descriptioÌ„ before he come to the history it self which setteth out the course of his life and carriage at large It is needlesse to say any thing in proofe of this matter I shall haue necessarie occasion to handle it at the foureteenth verse the whole Gospel is of nothing else Yet I may not forget to note in a word how gratiously it pleased the Son of God to deale with the world He liued amongst men he kept company with men he came as himselfe speaketh eating and drinking He was Luk. 7. 34. familiar with men hee applyed himselfe to their customes and fashions in all thinges lawfull and as a worthy Scholler of so excellent a Maister sayth of himselfe Hee became all things to all men that hee might by 1. Cor. 9 19 all meanes saue some Iohn Baptist as it was fitte for him led an austere life withdrawing himselfe from the company of men abstayning from the lawfull vse of that varietie both in diet and apparayle which the Lord of his rich bountie hath afforded to men They that would in any thing vse his ministerie either for instruction or baptisme were fayne to come to him and attend vpon him Our Sauiour was ready ordinarily at euery mans call Who euer came with petition to him and went away vnsatisfied Sometimes hee deferred Ioh. 4. 49. the matter and would make as if hee hearde not yea sometimes hee seemed to aunswere somewhat roughly as to the woman of Canaan but it was Mat. 15. 21. not to deny their requests but to encrease their faith He meant not by such delayes to continue their paine or trouble but to double his mercy both vppon their bodies and vpon their soules Where hee sawe neede of helpe and want of meanes to begge it by reason of ignoraunce or some other infirmitie hee most kindly offred himselfe and his seruice Wilt thou be made whole sayth he to the man that had lyen 38 yeares Ioh. 5. 6. bed-red To conclude such was the conuersation of our Sauiour vpon earth that nothing wanted to shewe who hee was nothing hindred men commonly from comming to him but that which in all reason should haue allured them so great maiestie with so great meekenesse such power to helpe with such readinesse to bee imployed O the blindnesse of men sayth one O the pride and frowardnesse sayth another They worthily perished that made themselues vnworthie of such vndeserued kindnesse What would they haue had more then was offered them yea they could neuer haue desired so much as was afforded them And could they bee so vnkinde shall I say or vnwise and wilfull as to make light account of stay your sentence a little we are not come to that point Take heede least by reprouing of other you condemne yourselues What want you except the bodily presence of Christ that they had No one man sauing those Disciples that continually followed him heard so many of his Sermons sawe so many of his miracles knew so much of his kindnesse as wee all doe or may doe That which they might heare in a long time by peecemeale wee may read in a few howers altogether before occasions of manifold busines distract the mind and confound the memory Wee see not the blind restored to sight the lame made to goe the dead raysed to life What could wee haue seene There was seldome aâ—y outwarde meanes vsed to these purposes by which â—he eyes of men might bee fed If they heard him speak to signifie that he would haue such or such a thing done and sawe the effect ensue accordingly it was all the aduantage they had of vs that now liue and euery day may heare and read the historie of these thinges recorded If hee were then amongst men in his person hee is now amongst them in his word I wil say nothing of the difference betwixt these two meanes of bringing men to beleefe Let the euent speake It is manifest by the historie of the acts that more were conuerted to the faith in one yeare after our Sauiours death by the ministery of the word in the mouthes of the Apostles then in all the three yeares and vpwarde of his preaching and working miracles The vse of this later was but to credit the persons that their doctrine might bee receiued Wee professe that wee are resolued of the trueth of all things deliuered in the Scriptures Then certainely our Lord is amongst vs in these dayes though not in the same maÌ„ner yet in as great measure for means of knowledge and beleeuing What intertainement had hee then by them hath he now by vs The former wee must learne of the Euangelist of the later wee shall heare more anone Concer-cerning the people that liued in our Sauiour Christs time and heard and sawe what he spake and did what would any reasonable man looke for but that they should acknowledge him and honour him as the Messiah by trusting in him So they should haue done And did they so Read the record The world knewe him not Is it possible there should bee such blindnesse where there was so good light Could the light bee vnseene that shone so brightly It is woorth the doing to consider this point a little better And first let vs examine the wordes what is meant by the world what by not knowing The world in the first part of this verse
dead were raysed vp Neither were these things done once onely but often and ordinarily Some that were borne blinde had eyes and sight giuen them when Ioh 9 1. they were growen to mans estate Some that had Chap. 11. 39. 44 lyen in the graue till they were thought to bee putrified were quickned by his voyce and made to liue againe vpon the earth to the amazement of al that knew them I appeale now to the iudgement of all indifferent men What could the world imagine in this case To deme that such miracles were wrought it was absurd and senselesse Their owne eyes refuted them Should they haue excepted against the trueth of that which seemed to bee done Triall by sense would haue conuinced them Perhappes they might ascribe them to naturall causes All reason Physicke and Phylosophy disclayme that power Must wee not of necessitie confesse vnlesse we will bee altogether shamelesse that none but God was able to doe such wonders was it possible then hee should not bee knowne I see wee are all readie to inueigh against their blindnesse if they could not their peruersnesse if they would not knowe him And I confesse they deserue to bee infamous for it to all posteritie But it is more honour to rescue a friende then to kill an enemie More wisedome to looke that there bee nothing in our selues worthy or such iust blame then to reprooue the faults of otheâ— men It was the sinne and shame of those times that the Messiah liuing in that sort amongst men was acknowledged by fewe or none of them Are men in these dayes excusable you will say I. They are perswaded that Iesus is indeede the Sauiour of the world Whence aryseth this perswasion It is rather suckt in with our nurses milke then receiued by the instruction of our teachers Wee hould it because it is commonly beleeued not because it is certainely true Wee heare not of any other meanes and therefore wee are content to accept of these They are not chosen by vs vppon our owne iudgement but taken vpon common credite We follow the tyde and streame of the flood being readie to turne with the water whensoeuer it shall ebbe I would to God olde experience did not cause new doubt It is an imputation that lyes vpon our Nation generally as the writers of histories record that we coÌ„quer easily and loose as easily wee get many Townes and Forts yea sometimes Kingdomes but wee hold them not long God forbid it should bee so in religion Our acknowledging of the truth is not so commendable or blessed as our deniall would bee shamefull and cursed But I must remember not so much to what purpose I speake as what our Euangelist directes mee to speake yet I could not but touch here by the way though I bee bound for another place Let it bee my fault so it bee your benefitte I come now to the amplification of the worlds vnkindnesse and ignorance that it was made by our Lord and yet would not know him Wherein ere we meddle with the matter that is principally intended wee must cleere this doubt for the better vnderstanding of â—he text How the creation of the world can bee applied to argue the sinne of men in not acknowledging Ieus Christ for the Messiah This scruple hath made diuers writers expound this whole verse of the naturall knowledge which is to bee had by the consideration of the Creatures But there is no reason to leaue â—o many good proofes as drawe vs the other way to follow this one likelyhood in so vncertaine a path I might say so straying from the truth which is here propounded to all men For out of question as it hath beene shewed the world cannot iustly bee condemned for not knowing GOD because indeede they did knowe him in the creatures or for ignoraunce of the Messiah by those meanes which were neuer able nor intended to giue knowledge of him Therefore it is agreeable to reason and diuinitie rather to seeke how wee may aunswere this doubt then because of it to forsake a manifest truth in exposition First them wee say Saint Iohn condemnes the world of ignorance and vnkindnesse that they acknowledged not our Sauiour liuing amongst them conuersing with them though hee were indeede the verie maker of them and author of their being But you will aske me how they should discerne any such matter by his carriage and behauiour in the world Therefore I aunswere secondly to that point wherein the whole cause of doubting lyes that the miracles which our Sauiour wrought from time to time in the sight of all the world were euident proofes that hee could bee no other but the great Commaunder of heauen and earth Did hee not ouer rule the course of nature Did hee not giue sight hearing health and life by his bare worde Damsell I say vnto thee arise and straight way the Mat. 9. 41. mayden that was dead arose and walked Hee cried with a loud voyce to Lazarus Come forth Not as if hee could Ioh. 11. 43. make him that had lyen foure dayes in the graue heare without life but that all men present might knowe that hee vsed no other meanes to put life into him but his commandement onely Who could worke such wonders but hee that had power aboue and against the course of nature How could he by any meanes better assure them that it was he that made the world then by taking the same course in changing nature that hee had followed before in creating nature God sayd let Gen. 1. 3. there be light and there was light Young man sayeth Christ I say vnto thee arise and hee that was dead sate vp Luk. 7. 14. 15. and began to speake Might not these courses haue taught and assured the world that hee whom they sawe and heard commanding death it self and doing whatsoeuer it pleased him by his word was the same by whome all things were created Consider then the slouthfull carelesnesse or the wonderfull blindnesse of the worlde that knewe not him that had made them Why should they be so carried away with the vaine pleasures or toylesome businesse of this life as not to bestowe some little time in the consideration of so straunge and admirable a personage Say they might bee this day extraordinarily imployed in their worldly affayres that they could not haue a minutes leasure to bethinke themselues of the wonders wrought by him They sawe the like againe next day day after day for the space of three yeares together and vpwardes It was hard if in so long a time they could not steale one hower or two to aduise with themselues and their friendes of so extraordinarie a matter Well let vs yeeld so much to their manifolde occasions in their ordinary imployments What will they aunswere for themselues coÌ„cerning those miracles which our Sauiour wrought vpon their Sabbaths Will they saye they had no leasure from their businesse on those dayes For very
are now possest that Faith Hope Charity so beautify their soules that God cannot but acknowledge them for his children in whome he sees so liuely and perfect an image of himselfe This is the course that Popish religion teacheth all men to follow who are desirous to be made the Sonns of God If wee compare the meanes of attaining to this honor which according to the Euangelists direction wee embrace with that course which they present I doubt not but we may truly say that our faith which is counted for righteousnes is more excellent then their proud supposed righteousnes so highly magnifyed by them For seeing the maine ende of all religion is the glory of God by what shall we valew the excellency of any vertue or vertuous action rather then by the more or lesse aduancing of that glory And by what is or can God be more glorifyed in the saluation of man then by our disclayming and renouncing of all possibibility in our selues and in all creatures and resting vpon him alone as the only hope of al our happinesse By this we acknowledge his sufficiency to bee infinit his kindnesse to be incomparable If we trust to him for succour it is plaine we are throughly perswaded that hee hath power and skill to deliuer vs. Wants he wisdome to discerne by what meanes our deliuerance must bee wrought How should we rely vpon him that knows not whereby to helpe vs Admit his skill were very great in perceiuing what were to bee done for our succour What can that availe vs if hee lack power to doe or procure that to be done which hee sees wee stand in need of Is it not a singular honour to God to haue his wisdome and his power thus highly magnifyed Reason confesseth it is beyond her reach Learning profeseth she can afford vs no instruction for the search therof Experience proclaymeth shee neuer saw any thing that might possibly be obserued to giue vs any direction in the businesse Men and Angells are wholly to seeke All created wisdome fayles vs. God onely as being only infinite makes supply of that to the knowledge whereof it was not possible for any finite wisdome to attaine Neither is the power of any creature greater then his knowledge yea who knows 〈◊〉 more then he can doe What should I multiply words in so plaine a case The Sonne of God must become man and by his bloud powred out in sacrifice appease the wrath of his Father reconcile the world to God by the pardon of Sin adoption into the state of children What power is there in men or Angells to procure this fauour It is vnpossible to inforce him that is almightie And if he do it not willingly as good not do it at all For hee that offers vnwillingly makes his offering of no valew How then May they hire him to do this seruice What needes he that is Lord of heauen and earth hath all in his possession What haue we to giue who our selues are not our owne As if a bond-slaue that hath nothing nostri Iuris but that which is his masters should redeeme himselfe with giuing some treasure which before he giues it is his to whom it must be giuen What remaines then but intreaty To whom shall we sue What colour of reason shal we deuise to ground our petition vpon With what face shall we come into his presence to whom our very comming is odious The neerer wee presse to him the more we sin The greater our sin is the hotter is his wrath The heauier his displeasure is the farder wee are from hope of fauour What shal we but prouok him by praying to him incense him by intreating him As for making of any means to him there is none in any place about him but doth truly worthily hate vs as long as we continue in their Lords displeasure If we might haue accesse durst we trowe you presume to approche vnto him When our first parents had broken that one Commandement afterward heard the voice of the Lord walling Gen. 3. 8. in the garden in the coole of the day they hid themselues saith the Text from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the Garden Why did they not rather shewe themselues and fall downe before the Lord intreat for mercy The same conscience of sin sense of the wrath of God would now also take from vs all heart to appeare before him to make intreatie But suppose we were admitted into his presence to offer vp our petition What should wee say How might wee begin to make so vnreasonable a request Is there any man so voyde of sense as to thinke that hee can perswade a kinde father to send his onely sonne so louing so beloued not onely to bee infinitly abased in his estate but also to bee put to a most cruell and shamefull death that for strangers Strangers sayd I It were too much if wee were no more but strangers What is it then to Rom. 5. 6. send him for the behoofe of enemies of rebels traytors Shall wee try if wee can preuaile so much with the sonne as to become a sacrifice for vs The very vnreasonablenesse of the suit makes me ashamed to think on it and is it possible we should moue it Would you intreat him to dye for you O absurd and ridiculous motion O senselesse and impious supplication But I must remēber that the time passeth stay my self in the midst of my race It is enough for the matter in hand that wee vnderstand what honour wee doo to God by acknowledging his loue his power and his wisedom in resting on him onely for saluation and giuing all the glorie and thankes for it to his maiesty and mercy As for the Papists that follow the other course whereby they looke to make themselues the sonnes of God though they pretend I know not what extraordinarie loue to him yet in trueth either they loue him not at all or if they doe it is because they imagin that hee lets them haue the cheefe glorie of their owne saluation Seeme I to any man to speake hardlier of them then they deserue I appeale to the vnpartiall iudgement of any reasonable man Thus stands the case betwixt God and them Hee of his owne mercy hath prouided meanes by which they may bee saued but he hath taken no order that they shall bee saued If they will make vse of this generall fauour they may if they will not choose them God hath as it were cast his almes amongst them happy man bee his dole that seaseth on them If so well if not so He for his part could be contēted that euery man shuld lay hold on his offer of saluation But hee leaues it to their owne choyse and sittes by looking on to see who will and who will not If any man beleeue and bee saued hee may thanke God that hee might attaine to saluation but that hee