Exposition on the Catholic Epistles, 2 John – 3 John
THE SECOND CATHOLIKE Epiſtle of St. IOHN.
TOuching the Authour of this Epiſtle, I hauehave ſpoken already in my Preface to the firſt, prouing it by manifold teſtimonies to be the Epiſtle of Iohn the Apoſtle, and ſo Canonicall Scripture. I hauehave alſo there ſhewed the reaſon, why hee writeth himſelfe Elder, and not Apoſtle, or Seruant of Ieſus Chriſt, as others hauehave done. Oecumenius thinketh,Oecumen. that he had reſpect herein to their firſt receiuing of the Goſpell in thoſe parts by the Miniſterie of Paul, after whom he came to preach vntounto them, and therefore not being the firſt there, he would not write himſelfe Apoſtle, nor Seruant, becauſe of the ſingular louelove of the Lord towards him, exempting him from the feare of ſeruitude. How theſe two Epiſtles, being directed to particular perſons, may beare the name of Catholike, I hauehave alſo ſhewed in my Preface to the Epiſtle of Saint Iames. The argument of this Epiſtle is an exhortation to louelove, and an admonition againſt heretickes. To the exhortation hee maketh way by congratulating the faith and obedience of her and of her children, verſ. 1, 2.3, 4. Then he exhorteth to louelove, commending the precept hereabout from the antiquitie of it, verſ. 5. and ſhewing that the true louelove of God conſiſteth in obedience, verſ. 6. Then he inueigheth againſt deceiuers, giuing warning againſt all familiaritie with them, verſ. 7, &c. to the 11. And laſtly, hee concludeth with the intimation of a purpoſe to ſee them ſhortly, and with ſalutations, verſ. 12, 13.
2 IOHN Verſe 1.
The Elder to the elect Ladie and to her children.
THere is much difference amongſt Expoſitors about theſe words,Mayer. the elect Ladie, who ſhould bee meant hereby.Clemens Alex. Athanaſ. in Synopſi. Th. Aquinas. Some will hauehave Electa, foreign, to bee a proper name, or that her name was Electa, and being a perſon of high qualitie ſhe was called foreign, Ladie, as amongſt the Turkes, he which is next vntounto the Emperour is called, as by a particular name, Deſpotes, or Lord: And amongſt the French, the next to the King is abſolutely called Monſieur; to others of his kinred is prefixed their Chriſtian name,Beza. as Charles Monſieur, &c. Others will not by any meanes hauehave Electa taken for a proper name, but that ſhee, to whom Saint Iohn wrote, was both a Ladie of great worth, and of great zeale to the truth, in ſo much as that ſhee diſtributed much to poore Chriſtians, and was euerie way of rare pietie, which did argue the true grace of God in her, for which cauſe he ſtileth her an elect Ladie: If Electa had beene her proper name,Oecumen. it ſhould hauehave been placed before foreign, not after. Some againe expound it either way. Laſtly, ſome thinke that not any particular woman is here meant, but the Church in Babylon, the praiſe whereof was the greater,Clemens Alex. Hugo. Tho. Anglicus. that being in ſo wicked a place, it cleaued ſo conſtantly to the truth. But becauſe there is no need to flie to any ſuch myſtical ſenſe, & there is no reaſon, the third Epiſtle being written to a particular man, to interpret this otherwiſe than written to a particular woman; and laſtly, becauſe the children of her ſiſter are mentioned, verſ. 13. I thinke with Beza, that this allegoricall Expoſition is not to be receiued, but that which expoundeth it of a particular woman; neither can there be any certainty whether her name be here ſet downe or no: but I doe rather incline to thinke that one or both theſe words be her proper name, both becauſe it is not vſed any where in writing to a particular perſon to omit his name; and if the word foreign be commonly vnderſtood, I cannot ſee how any mortall man could giuegive any ſuch title to any, ſeeing to know who are Elect is peculiar to God onelyonly; and laſtly, becauſe moſt of the ancient Greeke Expoſitors take it for a proper name.
In the reſidue of this Epiſtle if there bee any difficulty,Verſ. 7. as verſ. 7. where he is ſaid to be the Antichriſt that denied Chriſt to be come in the fleſh, it hath beene already handled, 1 Ioh. 2.22. and Ch. 4.1. Beſides this, there is but one doubt more touching theſe words,Verſ. 10. If any man commeth vntounto you and bringeth not this Doctrine, receiue him not to houſe, neither bid him (God ſpeed.) Verſ. 11.Verſ. 11. For he that biddeth him (God ſpeed) doth partake of his euill workes. By one that bringeth not this Doctrine, it is commonly agreed that an impugner of the truth is meant, liuing yet in the Chriſtian Congregation, and pretending to be a Chriſtian, not a Iew or Gentile that was neuer conuerted, but hath euer beene an open enemy to Chriſtianity; for with ſuch Saint Paul doth allow feaſting together,1 Cor. 10.27. and when he forbiddeth companying with wicked perſons,1 Cor. 5.11. he explaineth himſelfe to meane not any indifferently, but brethren that were ſuch. Otherwiſe all meanes of their conuerſion ſhould be taken away. He is one that hath imbraced the truth, but now is depraued with hereſie, againſt communion with whom the Apoſtle giueth warning here.Beda. Gloſſ. Ordin. Thus it is applied by Beda, and the ordinary gloſſe alleaging alſo Iohns owne example to illuſtrate what he hath here taught.Properemus hinc ne corruat domus, in qua inimicus veritatis eſt. Polycarpe. Euſeb. Hiſt. l. 4. c. 13. He comming into a Bath where Cerinthus the Heretike was, haſtened out againe, ſaying, Properemus hinc, &c. Let vsus make haſte hence, leſt the houſe fall vponupon vsus where the enemy of the truth is. And Polycarpe, the Diſciple of Iohn, when Martian the Heretike came to ſalute him, called him the firſt-borne of the Deuill. We muſt alſo eſtrange our ſelues from obſtinate Heretikes when there is no further hope of their conuerſion; thoſe vſuall paſſages that are betwixt neighbour and neighbour of entertainment and of ſalutation, muſt not be betwixt vsus and Heretikes, as we would not bee counted companions with them in their wickedneſſe,Cypri. l. 1. Epiſt. 3. Tam longe ab jis nos ſinus ſeparati quam illi ſunt ab Eccleſia profugi. and ſmart accordingly. Cyprian is ſo ſtrict in amplifying this point, as that hee would not hauehave any Commerce, Feaſtings, or Colloquies betwixt Heretikes and true Chriſtians, but that we ſhould ſeparate our ſelues as farre from them as they are fled from the Church. The word tranſlated (God ſpeed) is foreign, in which it is alluded to the ſaying of the Prophet Eſay, Eſa. 57.21.There is no peace vntounto the wicked; in the Septuagint it is foreign, according to Ireneus. Iren. lib. 1. c. 13.Therefore foreign ſhould not be ſaid vntounto them. As enemies and rebells to our King are by all good ſubiects auoided, ſo Heretikes that are enemies to our ſupreme King and Lord.
Note,Note. that it is not a thing indifferent, but dangerous to the ſoule to hauehave communion, and to be in good termes with obſtinate Heretikes, and therefore all are to be admoniſhed to ſhake off this communion. For hereby, loe what apparant hurt hath enſued to very many in this Kingdome, to be reduced backe againe to Babel, out of which they had eſcaped, beſides the inſenſible hurt that is to thouſands by their too much familiarity with Papiſts.
THE THIRD EPISTLE of the Apoſtle IOHN.
IN this Epiſtle there is nothing difficult, ſauing that a queſtion may be, who this Gaius was, in the vulgar Latine called Gaius. We reade of three of this name; 1. Act. 19.29. where one Gaius a Macedonian, and Pauls companion in his iourney, is mentioned. 2. Act. 20 4. Gaius a Derbean, is ſaid to accompany Paul to Aſia amongſt others. 3. Rom. 16.23. Gaius is ſaid to be Pauls Oaſt, who as all hold it moſt probable, was a Corinthian, and the very ſame Gaius whom Paul baptized, 1 Cor. 1.14. and therefore Beza gathereth, that Paul was at Corinth when he wrote to the Romans. And to this Gaius it is thought that Iohn wrote this Epiſtle,Beda. Lyran. Gl…ſſ. O…din. and his hoſpitality here commended maketh it the more probable: for in ſome Copies, both Greeke and Latine, where Paul calleth him his Oaſt, it is added, and of the whole Church. Many hold him to hauehave been a Biſhop,Dor…theus in Syno…ſ. Petrus de natal. l. 6. c. 100. Sedulan Rom. ſome of Epheſus next to Timothy, and ſome the firſt of the Theſſalonians. But Ignatius ſaith, that Oneſimus was the next to Timothy, Epiſt. ad Eph. But I cannot ſee any probability that he was a Biſhop, ſeeing nothing peculiar to this office is here written, as doubtleſſe there would hauehave beene if he had beene a Biſhop, eſpecially there being ſo iuſt occaſion in ſpeaking againſt Diotrephes. I hold therefore with Beda, that hee was not one ſufficient to preach the Goſpell, but that with his goods he ſupported thoſe that did preach it.
Touching Diotrephes, Verſ. 9.againſt whom he inueigheth, ſaying, That he wrote an Epiſtle to the Church, but Diotrephes, that loueth preeminence, receiueth vsus not; It is vncertaine who this man was, but moſt probable that he was an Arch-heretike, as Beda calleth him,Beda. who by teaching new things, had rather vſurpe vntounto him the primacy of knowledge, than humbly hearken to the old precepts of the Church which Saint Iohn preached. The name Diotrephes, ſignifying one nouriſhed by Iupiter, argueth one of an high ranke, for Homer calleth Kings by a name not much differing here-from, foreign Whereas in the Greeke it is,S…ripſiſſem forſitan Eccleſiae. I wrote an Epiſtle, the vulgar Latine hath it, I would haply hauehave written, as though being about to hauehave commended the charity and hoſpitality of Gaius to the Church, he were hindered, becauſe he knew that Diotrephes would hinder the reading of it. But according to the Greeke, which is trueſt, if it be read, I wrote, it is moſt likely that he meant his firſt Epiſtle, which Diotrephes, who perhaps was Biſhop where Gaius dwelt, would not ſuffer it to be read to the Church there.
Who Demetrius was,Verſ. 12. here mentioned alſo, it is vnknown, onelyonly he is a good example for all men in place to imitate. He ſaith, that the truth gaue teſtimony to him, that is, they were not words only that went of him, but indeed hee performed what all men reported of him. Learne we by the example of Diotrephes not to affect preeminence, for this is the ground moſt commonly of damnable hereſie: let that rebuke giuen by Chriſt to Zebedeus his children, affecting ſuperiority, bee alwaies ſounding in our eares to keepe vsus humble and lowly. And by the example of Demetrius, let vsus learne by well doing and not by making a good ſhew, to lay the foundation of a good name, eſpecially ſo that they which are our ouer-ſeers in the Lord, may giuegive a good teſtimony vntounto vsus.