Exposition on John 5, John 5 · Verse 18
Verſe 18.
Therefore the Iewes ſought the more to kill him, not only becauſe he had broken the Sabbath, but ſayd alſo, that God was his Father, making himſelfe equall with God.
IN this verſe is layd downe a violent oppoſition againſt the former Apolagies. The branches of it are two; Firſt, The manner of the oppoſition. Secondly, The Cauſes.
In the manner, note, Firſt, The Kinde of this Opoſition; they ſought to Kill him. Secondly, the Extent; the more. In the Kind, note this Doctrine, ariſing from it: that the aduerſaries of the truth labour to ſuppreſſe the truth, not by force of argument, but by perſecution. Thus did the old Iewes with the Prophets, caſting them into Priſon, and killing them, but yet not diſcouering any error in their Preachings; as 2. Chron. 24.21. So dealt Herod with Iohn Baptiſt; and the Iewes with the Apoſtle; Act. 4.16. So hauehave Heathen men and Heretikes alwaies done towards godly Martyrs; and ſo doe Papiſts where they get the vpper hand.
Reaſon hereof is; Firſt, The euidence of truth, which is ſuch, that it cannot by ſoundneſſe of argument bee refuted.
2. Obſtinaſy on the aduerſaries part, who will not be bea…en downe.
This ſhewes a difference betweene thoſe that ſeeke for truth in ſincerity, and ſuch as are of a gaine-ſaying, and cauilling ſpirit. The one ſeekes the good of their aduerſaries that they might know the truth as well as themſelues, which makes them to deale with all meekenes and gentleneſſe; vnleſſe it be towards ſuch as are willfull, and obſtinate in fundamentall points of Religion; ſuch indeed are brought to puniſhment: but yet after many warnings, admonitions, and exhortations. But the other aiming only at victory and conqueſt, vſe all violence; and if not in deeds, yet in words; vſing all violent and and bitter words, ſtriuing only to maintaine a cauſe. As we ſee that Papiſts, Lutherans, Anabaptiſts, &c. doe in their writings: and generally the more men ſwerue from the truth, the more they goe from gentlenes, growing in heat and choler, to be bitter and violent.
The Extent is, in theſe words. The more.] why? becauſe Chriſt had more euidently mantained that which he did, and had now clearely manifeſted himſelfe.
Doct. The more euidence is giuen to the truth by the defendors of it, the more violent opposition is made againſt it by the enemies thereof. When Chriſt had wrought that great miracle of raiſing vp Lazarus. We ſee how the Iewes perſecuted him; Ioh. 11.47, 48, 53.
But eſpecially, when he roſe againe from the dead, how doe they beſtirre themſelues; by ſpreading abroad lies, by bribes, &c. Mat. 28.12, 13. This makes Papiſts more to hate Proteſtants, then any other kindes of Religion whatſoeuer; becauſe of that cleare light which they bring againſt their Idolatry. And here note a further difference betweene a meeke ſpirit and a contradicting ſpirit; the one conſiders the force of argument, and if it be a ſure, a certaine ground they yeeld vntounto it, albeit their Opinion were otherwiſe before; as Peter Act. 10.28. the other only labour to maintaine a cauſe.
The Cauſes are twofold: partly old matter; becauſe he had broken the Sabbath, which is not to be taken ſimply, but in reference to their conceit, who made this a pretence. Partly new matter; becauſe he made himſelfe equall to God.
Thus theſe aduerſaries, though they hauehave new matter yet, they let not go their old hold. Euen as the Papiſts that ſtilbring their old threadbare arguments, beſides their new deuiſes.
The new matter that they conceit to hauehave againſt him, is, that he blaſphemed: Firſt, In that hee made God his Father, Secondly in making himſelfe equall to God.
But before we come to their erroneous conceits, let vsus firſt obſerue ſome ſound and orthodoxall points, which the Iewes gathered from the words of Chriſt, whereby we ſhall ſee, how they vnderſtood his meaning aright. The
1. Is, That Chriſt did account God his own Proper Father foreign, and not a common Father, as he is to other creatures.
2. That he was equall with God. And ſo though they were malicious enemies of Chriſt yet more truly did they obſerue and conceiue his meaning, then many heretickes hauehave done.
3. A third is this▪ That he that vniuſtly makes himſelfe the ſonne of God is worthy of death. This is a ſound collection and herein they go beyond the Papiſts in tolerating the Pope, who maketh himſelfe God, taking vntounto him his Titles, Attributes, and Authority.
All this ſerues to amplifie and aggrauate their malice, that thus perceiuing his meaning, and not being able to charge him with vntruth and colluſion that he had at any time vſed, yet notwithſtanding they would without any further triall, raſhly accuſe and condemne him of blaſphemie, and ſeeke to ſlay him. Worſe then Pilate, who hearing that Chriſt neuer ſayd but truth, was afraid to meddle with Chriſt, when hee heard that he called himſelfe the Sonne of God. Iohn 19.7.8.13.
Doctrine. Malice blinds mens eyes that they cannot ſearch into the truth: but makes them condemne at the firſt whatſoeuer they thinke will make againſt them. As doe the Papiſts.
Vſe, is to teach vsus not to condemne any thing without full triall.