The Treasure of the Church, Lecture 7
The seuenth Lecture.
Verse 8. I hauehave giuen vntounto them the word which thou gauest me.
IN this verse our Sauior amplifieth that which in the former verse was more briefly expressed, declaring the obedience of the Apostles in receiuing his doctrine, and his owne faithfulnesse in giuing vntounto them no other words then which he had receiued of his father.
Our Sauiour then teacheth all Ministers byh is example, that they should not aduenture to preach any thing to the people but that which they hauehave receiued from God, and are able to warrant by his word.
Thus the Apostle saith, Be ye followers of me, as I am of Christ, 1. Cor. 11. 1. not only for example of life, but also in his doctrine. The Apostle will be no further followed, then he himselfe did tread in the steps of Christ. Againe the Apostle saith, I certifie you brethren that the Gospel which was preached of me, was not after man. Gal. 1. 1….
2. Hereof the Apostle giueth himselfe an example, I hauehave receiued of the Lord that which I hauehave deliuered vntounto you. Likewise the Prophets preached not to the people, till the word of God came vntounto them: as Isay 2. 1. The word that Isaiah son of Amos saw vponupon Iudah and Ierusalem.
3. Like as when our Sauiour fed the people in the wildernesse, first he himselfe brake the loaues, and then gaue them to the Disciples, and they to the multitude, Iohn 6. so the Lord Christ must first break vntounto vsus of the bread of life, before we can breake it to you. And like as he that heareth speaketh continually, Prou. 21. 28. A man must first heare the cause before he can giuegive sentence: so must the Ministers first hearken to God to be instructed by his word, before they deliuer any doctrine to the people.
4. For it is required of such as are disposers, dispensers, and stewards of Gods misteries, to be faithful, 1. Corin. 4. 2. Like as the embassador of the Prince must deliuer nothing but by warrant and commission of the Prince: so must Ministers do being the Lords embassadors, 2. Cor. 25. 20.
5. They then are reproued by this doctrine, that presume to preach the doctrines and commaundements of men in stead of the word of God: as the Pharises in our Sauior Christs time did, Marke 7. 7. and the Pharises of this age the papists do, who in most articles of religion, the doctrine of the Trinitie excepted, do set forth humane inuentions and traditions.
Secondly the Ministers learne, that they should not rashly vtter whatsoeuer at the first sight offereth it selfe, or commeth sodainly into their mind, but examine eueryevery doctrine how it is agreeable to the word of God: to waite vponupon God with the prophet Isay, and to heare from him what we should crie: as Ambrose saith, Cum audisset clama, non prius clamauerat quàm audiret quod clamare deberet, Isay 40. in psal. 119. serm. 2. he would not cry before he had heard what he should cry. Examination of doctrines.The people of God also are taught to compare with the scriptures eueryevery doctrine which is brought vntounto thē, as the Berrhaeans did, Act. 17. to receiue the good doctrine as currant coine, to refuse the contrarie as counterfeit stuffe.
And they hauehave receiued thē. Doct. 2.By this readines in Christs Disciples to receiue his doctrine,Gods word is chearfully to be heard. we are taught with all chearefulnesse and alacritie to yeeld obedience to the word of God.
1. So the Apostle saith, Let the word of God dwel in you plenteously, Col. 3. 16. It can not dwel with vsus vnlesse we receiue it into the houses and habitations of our hearts. And again, despise not prophecying. 1. Thess. 5. 2…, that is, contemne not, neither neglect the preaching of the word.
2. Thus the Apostle commendeth the obedience of the Galathians, that they receiued him as an Angel of God, Gal. 4. 14. and consequently his doctrine as angelicall. Such were the Disciples of Antioch, When they heard the word they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord, Act. 13. 48. the willing then and chearefull receiuing of the word, is a glorifying, a dignifying of it, an ornament and an honour vntounto it.
3. Like as he that tasteth the hony or cōb, findeth a pleasantnesse and a delight in it: so the word of God should be sweeter to the spirituall tast, then the hony or honycomb, Psa. 19. 10. And as the thirsty ground waiteth for the raine, and drinketh it in gladly: so should the word of God be heard, as Iob saith, They waited for me as for the raine, Iob 29. 23.
4. Christ therfore is with all forwardnes and earnest desire to be heard, because he hath the words of eternall life, Iohn 6. 68. We willingly heare men that counsell vsus for our worldly profit, much more when for our soules health, and for that the contempt of the Ministers of Christ, redoundeth vntounto Christ himselfe: He that heareth you, heareth me: he that despiseth you, despiseth me, Luke 10. 16.
There are then three sorts of men, that come farre short in the practise of this doctrine: first, they which are contemners & despisers of Gods word, that of an obstinate and wilfull mind refuse to heare vsus: such were they that stopped their eares against Stephē, Act. 7. and that cast off their garments, and threw dust in the aire, while Paul preached, Act. 22. 23. Such are the obstinate popish Recusants at this day. Secondly, there are others that preferre their worldly businesse, as the Gergasenes that because of the losse of their swine, would hauehave Christ preach no longer among them, Mat. 8. 34. Such are they that coming to faires and markets wil not be spared one halfe houre from their worldly traffick to heare the word of God. Thirdly there is another sort, that come to heare but profit not: such as Ezechiel speaketh of, They heare thy words but do them not. Ezech. 33. 31. Neither do these receiue the words of Christ: for though the word pierceth the eare, yet they shut the dore of the heart against it. Wherfore if we wilbe the true Disciples of Christ, let vsus neither obstinately reiect his words, nor carnally refuse them, nor negligently heare them, but willingly receiue them: that euen as we with a bodily appetite do take our corporall food, so with a spirituall desire we receiue our heauenly sustenāce, which doth sustaine our soules, as the other strentheneth our bodies: as Ambrose wel noteth vponupon those words of our Sauiour, GiueGive ye them to eate, lest they faint in the way: Habes Apostoli…um cibum, manduca illum, & non deficies: You hauehave Apostolicke foode eate it, and you shal not faint.
They hauehave knowne verily or surely foreign that I came out from thee.] Doct 3.To come out from God is all one with that which followeth, to be sent of God, which Christ vttereth of himself, as now our Mediator, the Minister and messenger of God in his humane nature: for as he is God, he was neither sent of God, nor came out frō him into the world.Our knowledge of Christ must be certaine. We learne here that our knowledge of Christ must not be wauering or vncertaine, but sure and stedfast: the Apostles knew verily, &c.
1. Saint Paul would not hauehave vsus as children to be caried about with eueryevery wind of doctrine, Ephes. 4. …4. but to be rooted and grounded in louelove. Ephes. 3. 17.
2. Such constancie was in Iohn Baptist, Who was not as a reed shaken with the wind, Mat. 11. 7. that is readie to be ouerturned vponupon eueryevery occasion: but he continued stedfast and vnremoueable in the confession of Christ euen vntounto death. Saint Paul was so sure of his doctrine, that if an Angel from heauen should preach otherwise, he would hold him accu…sed, Gal. 1. 8.
3. We should be in respect of our constant faith as nailes surely fastened, Eccl. 12. 11. and as the pillars of the temple, Reuel. 3. 12. that cannot be remoued.
4. For as God is faithfull and altereth not, and Christ is not yea, and nay, he changeth not, 2. Cor. 1. 18. 19. so the faith of Christ is also certaine, and we ought to be as certaine of it.
5. Two sorts of men are here reproued: first, they which suffer themselues to be seduced and corrupted in religion, and do leaue their first faith. Such in Saint Paules time were Philetus and Alexander, 1. Timoth. 1. 20. Phygell …s and Hermogenes, 2. Timoth. 1. 15. which turned away frō Paule and departed from the faith: such there are in these dayes, that being vnstedfast in faith, & vnsetled in iudgement, are caried headlong as with a whirlewind into the downefall of dangerous errors & corrupt doctrines, that fall into schism, and are infected with popish superstition. Secondly, they are here touched, that althogh they be not seduced or mis-led into any other beleefe, yet are not resolute and constant in that faith which they professe: but vntounto many our redemption by Christ▪ is as the deliuerance & returne of the Israelites from captiuitie, euen as a dreame, Psal. 126. 1▪ Or the storie of the Gospell is vntounto many but as a thought or phantasie, or a tale that is told, Psal. 90. 9. So I know not how the most of the world are in a dead sleepe▪ they slumber and dreame in Religion, neither being certaine of that they hauehave,Against carnal professors nor yet resolued against that they hauehave not, and by Gods grace I trust shall neuer hauehave. Let vsus therefore labour to be constant, and setled, and fully perswaded in matters of faith, as builded vppon a rocke, that neither the wind of persecution, waues of temptations, nor the raine of strange doctrines, be able to remoue vsus from our foundation. Ambrose saith well: Similes simus Nazaraeis, quorum capilli non defluebant, & Christus Nazaraeus erat: Let vsus be like the Nazarits, whose haire did not shed, such a Nazarite was Christ: that we may perseuere vntounto the end, and be as Christs mother: multi enim conceperunt Christum, sed non genuerunt: for many hauehave conceiued Christ, but not brought him foorth: such are they which fall away from their faith.
And beleeue that thou hast sent me] The Apostles wold not so readily hauehave receiued Christs words,Doct. 4. but that they were perswaded he came from God: so it is necessarie, that the people shold know and approue the calling of their teachers and Ministers before they can subscribe and giuegive consent to their doctrine.
1. So the Apostle alleadgeth out of the Prophet: How beautifull are the feete of those which bring glad tidings of peace, &c? Rom. 10. 15. before the message be receiued, the messenger must be approued.
2. This perswasion brought Nicodemus to Christ: We know that thou art a teacher come from God. And that consession of the Pharisees and Herodians of Christ was true, though vttered by them in deceipt and hypocrisie: We know thou art true, and teachest the way of God truly. Mat. 22. 16. A man must first hauehave a true calling before he can teach truly.
3. Like as Dauid said of Ahimaaz, that came running to bring him newes of Absaloms ouerthrow: He is a good man and bringeth good tidings, 2. Sam. 18. 27. so must the minister hauehave a good and lawful calling, though he be not alwaies (as he should be) a good man, before he can be a publisher of the ioyfull tidings of the Gospell.
4. Our Sauiour Christ saith: EueryEvery plant which my heauenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted out. Such then as are not set of God into his seruice▪ but intrude themselues, can hauehave no prosperous successe in their callings.
5. First the Ministers of God are here taught,The Minister must be assured of his calling. that they should hauehave assurance in themselues of their calling, and the inward testimonie of their conscience, that they are appointed of God to labour in his vineyard; which they may know by these two arguments: first, by their gifts: for they which are deputed to the Lords seruice, are in some good measure enabled thereunto: as the Apostle saith, 2 Corinth. 3. 6. God hath made vsus able Ministers of the new Testament. How Ministers are acertained of their calling.Secondly, by the employment of their gifts: if they carefully and diligently vse those graces wherwith they are endued, to the edifying of Christ his Church: as Saint Paule againe saith: If I do it willingly (that is, preach the Gospell) I hauehave a reward. Ambrose saith: Voluntarius Minister habet praemium, coactus di…pensat obsequium: the willing Minister hath a reward, he that is forced is onelyonly employed and vsed. So then they which either want gifts to furnish them, or willingnes to prouoke them, can neuer be sure of their calling, nor secure of any good ensuing effect.
Secondly, the people of God are taught to acknowledge their faithfull and vigilant Pastors to be sent of God, and not to doubt of their lawfull calling, the seale of whose Apostleship and ministerie they find in themselues, in the fruitfull and powerfull effects of the Gospell, wrought in their hearts by the spirit of God. GiueGive ye not eare then to the Papists or Schismatickes, that would perswade you, that ye hauehave neither Ministers, Church, nor Sacraments: For as Saint Paule saith: We need no Epistle of recommendation vntounto you, &c. you are our Epistle written in our harts, which is vnderstood and read of all men, in that ye are manifest to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by vsus, &c. The spirituall comfort, increase of knowledge, edifying in the faith, sanctifying in good life, which are wrought daily in your hearts (that feare God) by the preaching of the word, are euident seales and signs of our calling. But they in whom the word of God worketh not these effects, as they are enemies to their owne saluation, so they are the cause why the glorious ministerie of the Gospell, is blasphemed and daily traduced, and euill spoken of by the common aduersarie.