Exposition of the Dominical Epistles and Gospels, Section 21
The Epistle. 1. COR. 9.24.
Perceiue ye not, how that they which runne in a course… runne all, but one receiueth the reward?
THere are pMelanc…on. o…at. …e a…gu…ent. …st. praefix. tom. 5.two waies of teaching; one by precept, and another by paterne. S. Paul vseth here both: a precept, so runne that ye may obtaine: a paterne, I therefore so runne, &c.
The precept is pressed by two similitudes:
1. Frō runners▪ in the 24 verse.
2. From wrastlers, in the 25.
The summe of both is: qRhe…. annot. in loc.if such as runne for a wager, and cōtend for a corruptible crowne, suffer great pains, and abstaine from many pleasures to winne the gole; what should wee doe, what should wee not doe to gaine the crowne of glorie, proposed and promised onelyonly to such as runne, trauell and endeuour for it? So runne therefore that ye may obtaine.
In which exhortation 4. points are regardable: the
Men, ye.
Matter, runne.
Manner, so runne.
Marke, that ye may obtaine.
Runne ye] That is, all yee; for that is taken as granted here; Perceiue ye not? All men are viatores in this valley of teares, before they can be comprehensores, ascended vp to heauen, and resting on Gods holy hill, the blessed Virgin not excepted, the most blessed of all the sonnes of men, Christ Iesus himselfe not exempted, he first rLuke 24.26.suffered, and after entred into glorie; first he did runne, then obtaine. God hath three houses, Heauen for ioy, Hell for paine, Earth for labour: Man is borne to trauell, as the sparkes flie vpward: Iob 5.7.
The matter then in the next place to be considered, is, that we must runne, Runne ye.
Wherein obserue sAquin. & Gorran. in loc.2. things especially:
1. The labour of our life.
2. The shortnesse of our life.
The labour in that wee must runne, the shortnesse in that it is but a race. tIob 14.1.Man that is borne of a woman, is of short continuance, and full of trouble: uPetrarcha.Animal aeuibreuissimi, solicitudinis infinitae: Mans life is not short and sweete, but sharpe and short. Running is a violent exercise, therefore sharpe; a stage is but a little ground, therefore short.
God is good vntounto vsus in tempering these so fitly, that thinking on the shortnesse of our life wee may bee content, because full of miseries; and againe, considering the miseries of our life we may be cōforted, because it is but of small continuance, not a long iourney, but a short tye.
The word originall is foreign, a race of men or horse, whereof I finde in xconsul… Cor…ucop. pag. 196. 197.antiquitie three kindes:
Italicum.
Olympicum.
Pythicum.
One of Italy, containing 625. fecte, that is, 125. paces. The second, of Olympus, containing 600. feete, that is, 120. paces. The third, containing 1000. feete, that is, 200 paces. It is probable that Paul writing this vntounto the Corinthians, alluded to the Olympiack course which is the shortest, much like the tyes in Kent, some 30. or 40. rods. And as experience shewes daily, some giuegive ouer at the first setting out, in the very cradle; some perish when they hauehave runne two or three paces in their youth; other about the midst of their race; most are out of breath before they can reach the staied paces of threescore yeeres; if any liue till eighty, we repute him exceeding old. Why doe I name rods or paces? our life is as it were a zPsalm. 39.6.span long, a very aPsalm. 144.4.nothing in respect of eternitie: seeing then our course is small, and reward great, a little paine, but an inestimable price; seeing our b2. Cor. 4.17.light affliction, which is but for a moment, causeth vntounto vsus a farre most excellent and an eternall waight of glorie; let vsus not faint in our course, but so runne that we may obtaine.
So runne] Noting the manner and the meanes, cMelanct…on. in loc. tom. 4. sol. 236.a generall rule necessarie for the course of our whole life, teaching vsus in all we say or doe to foresee the right end, and to vse the meanes for obtaining that end.
Some looke to the right end, but vse not the right meanes, as Carolostadius in Luthers age, who desired the Gospell might florish, but he failed in the meanes; he despised authoritie, neglected humane lawes, and was altogether transported with his owne p…iuate humours of ambition and couetousnesse. And so the Schismatikes in our time, especially those of the separation, embrace the Gospell (as it should seeme) so much as we, but they faile in their Sic, in their so running; for they runne out of the Church, without which none can be safe, none can be saued and so the more they runne, the further are they fro… the prize.
Some vse the right meanes, but not for the right end, as dMatth. 7.hypocrites vse to fast and giuegive to the poore, not for Gods glorie, but for their owne praise. So vainglorious Preachers and people seeke the trueth, but not for the truth, & eAugustin.dum quaerunt eam, non quaerunt ipsam.
Some neither vse the right meanes, nor aime at the right end, as Atheists, who preferre their fiue senses before the foure Euangelists, and panem nostrum in the Pater noster, before sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Some look to the right end, and vse the right meanes, as the holie Prophets and Apostles, all their preaching tended to the glorie of God, and they runne the right way, to propagat… that his glorie: So runne therefore that …e may obtaine.
Now yt we may run well, 2. things are required especially: a
due preparatiō before the race.
right disposition in the race.
He that vndertakes to runne a tye, will first, if he be wise, fEnglish glosse in loc.diet himselfe, and not spend his time in drunkennes…e and gluttonie; the text saith, he will abstaine from all things, euen those meates and pleasures which hee doth most affect, only to make his bodie swift and fit for the race. So if we will happily runne our course in Gods way, we must not walke in surfetting and drunkennesse, in chambering and wantonnesse, but as …aul heere, wee must tame our bodies, and bring them into subiection: Wee must not be filled with gEphes. 5.18.wine, but with the holie Spirit: for fasting and voluntarie chastising of our bodies, as occasion is offered, are not workes hD. Fulk in loc.either superfluous or superstitious. A full panch and heauie head is fitter to lie then to goe, to stand still then to runne a swift race. The Gentiles liue to eate, but iCle…. Alex. paedagog. lib. 2. cap. 1.Christians eate to liue, and life consists in kVita non est vi…ere sed valere.health and strength, and both are maintained especially by moderate fare.
Secondly, the runner vseth to strip himself of all about him, except some white garment to couer his nakednesse: and so we must put off the workes of darknesse, and eueryevery thing that lHeb. 1….1.presseth downe: wee must cast away the cares of this life, m1. Cor. 7.31.vsi…g the world as if we vsed it not; hauing wiues and children as if wee had neither wiues nor children, accounting all things losse to winne Christ. We must strippe our selues of all that might hinder vsus in our course, leauing nothing on vsus but the nApocal. 7.9.long robe of Christs righteousnesse to couer our nakednesse, to oPsalm. 32.1.couer our wickednesse, as our Apostle, Rom. 13.14. Put yee on the Lord …esus Christ, and take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lusts of it.
And as the runner must hauehave due preparation before his race; so likewise a right disposition in his course, that he begin well, continue well, and end well.
First, he must be carefull to begin well, to set out in the right and direct passages: otherwise if he runne in wrie waies and by-waies, the more his labour the greater is his losse. Wee must take heed lest meta be pLuther. pos…il. in loc.transpos…t…: such as will ob…aine Gods prize, must walke in Gods path, turning neither to the right hand, nor to the left, Deut. 5.32.33. for there is danger in both; and, as qCom. in Gal 1. vers. 6.Luther obserues, often the gr…atest perill is on the right hand. For Schismatikes hurt more vnderunder a colour of reforming and building vp the Church, then heretikes and open tyrants can doe by persecuting and pulling downe the Church. Omnes …mici omnes inimici (quoth Bernard). On the contrarie, by the Martyrs blood, the Church is not destroyed, but watered: rCyprian. epist. lib. 2. epist. 6.Ante fuit in operibus fratrum candida, nunc in martyrum cruore purpurea. Eue…y man must be sure to set foorth aright, in the true profession of the Catholike faith; otherwise when wee runne without Christ, who is the way, sLuther. in Galat. 1.4.then our wisedome is double foolishnesse, our righteousnesse double sinne; when we are best, then are we worst. Againe, we must walke in an honest vocation warranted by Gods word, otherwise we shall not run to, but from the prize.
Secondly, we must continue well; for many runne, but one receiueth the crowne: we must therefore take heede that we doe not slip; or if we slip, that we doe not fall; or if we fall, that we fall not backward but forward, so that wee may with speede rise againe. The most iust tProu. 24.16.often slip, and sometime fall, but they fall not backward as u1. S…m. 4.Eli, and the xIoh. 18.6.Iewes who tooke Christ, but forward, as yGen. 18.Abraham in the valley of Mambre, and zEzech. 1.Ezechiel by the riuer Chebar.
Lastly, wee must end well; Death is our last enemie, which must be destroyed, and therefore we must run well vntounto the end, and in the end. As good not to runne at all, as to runne neere the end, and then to lose the prize; to suffer Satan at the last houre to snatch our reward from vsus. A runner will bee sure to stretch out his hand at the races end to take the marke; so when death approcheth, a Christian must stretch out the hand of faith apprehending Christ and his righteousnesse.
Obserue yet a great difference betweene the Christian and other races. In the games of other runners, as it is here said, one onelyonly doth winne the gole; aAmbros. in loc.but in the Christian course many receiue the prize, so many as continue stedfast vntounto the end, though they doe not runne so fast, though they doe not runne from so farre as other. So Christ shewes in the parable of the vineyard, allotted for the Gospell on this day; Such as came to worke at the eleuenth houre had a peny, so well as they that came into the vineyard at the third houre.
Secondly, in other races one hinders another; bMarlorat. ex Caluin. in loc.but in our iourney to heauen one helpes another. The moe the merier, the greater companie the better encouragement, eueryevery good man being a spurre to his neighbour. As when Peter and Iohn ranne to Christs sepulchre, Iohn ouerrunne cIo…n 20.Peter vntounto the graue, Peter outwent Iohn into the graue.
Thirdly, runners and wrastlers contend for a crowne that shall perish, but we runne to obtaine an euerlasting crowne. They run for a little prize, for a little praise; but wee striue for no lesse then a kingdome that is at stake, that is the marke, which being dD. Fulk in loc.infinitly aboue the value of all mens works, it cannot be deserued by merit, but onelyonly giuen by grace. To propound a garland for the runner, and a crowne for the wrestler, proceeds altogether from Gods owne meere mercy: to run, and not to fall, to fall, and not finally to be cast downe, comes also from his especiall grace. So that it is eRom. 9.16.neither in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that shewes mercy. Yet we must so runne, that we may obtaine. Wee must worke well in respect of the reward, as also for feare of punishment, due to such as worke not well, albeit not onelyonly, nor chiefly for these considerations, as slaues for feare, or hirelings for reward; but principally out of louing obedience to God, as becomes children vntounto so good a father. Holy conuersation is a signe and seale of our iustification, by which our election is made f2. Pet. 1.10.sure. gAmbros. de Abraham. lib. 2. cap. 9.Feramus ergo sidei fructum ab ipsâ pueritiâ, augeamus in adolescentiâ, coloremus in iuuentute, compleamus in se…ectute.
I therefore so run] hBocholzer. in chron. An. 1500.One said of Erasmus his Enchiridion, that there was more deuotion in the booke, then in the writer. But here Saint Pauls life doth preach so much as his letter; I so run, so fight, I Preachers, as it is well obserued vponupon the Gospell for this day, must be not onelyonly iLudolphus, de vitá Christi. part. 2. cap. 13.verbarij, but operarij: fo that as Christ said to the kLuke 10.37.Lawyer; I say to thee, Goe and doe thou likewise.
Not as one that beateth the aire] lM…lanc. in loc.Such as contend in the Church about things vncertaine and vnnecessary beat the aire.
I tame my body] The mGyrald. Cambren. in speculo Eccl…siae.Monkes of S. Swithin in Winchester, complained to Henry the second, that their Bishop had taken away three of their dishes, and left them but ten: to whom the King answered, that the Bishop should doe well to take away ten, and to leaue them but three; for they were so many as he had in his Court. In England Monkes so tamed their body, that among vsus as yet, Frier and fat are nLubbers are heires apparent of Abbies.voces conuertibiles: and the new bastard Monke, though his habit resemble louelove, couering a multitude of sinnes; yet himselfe is the pi…re of enuie. No treason in old time without a Priest, no treason in our time without a Iesuit: so that I may say with the oPoem. de corruptó statu Eccles. per Illyricum.Poet:
In vestimentis non est contritiomentis,
Ni mens sit pura, nil confert regula dura.
p1. Tim 4.8.Bodily exercise profiteth little; but godlinesse is profitable to all things. As qHieron. ad Ex…perant. tom. …. pag. 210.to shew the behauiour of a Prophet in the robes of a cauiliere, is louely: so contrariwise, doe the works of a ruffin in the weeds of a Priest, is no better then hypo…risie.
Lest by any meanes] Our Apostle was assured of his saluation, as it is euident Rom. 8. rMarlorat. & …za in loc.This then is to be construed of reproofe before men, not of reprobation before God. Or if it be referred to damnation eternall, his sD. Fulk in loc.…aning is, that we may not presume of the end, without the meanes and waies, by which Almighty God brings vsus vntounto it. And so we tAugust. apud Pet. Lombard in loc.lambes may tremble, seeing the belwether of the flocke must so labour and subiect his flesh, lest perhaps he misse the marke.
uMat. 17.20.Christ doth assure that a little faith, euen little as a grain of mustard seed, is strong enough to cast all mountaines into the sea, that shall rise vp to diuide betweene God and vsus. It is true that the xEphes. 6.16.shield of faith is able to repell all the fierie darts of the wicked: but this our faith is made yLuther.fat by good works. And if we will make our calling and election sure, we must with all diligence z2. Pet. 1.5.ioine vertue with faith, and with vertue knowledge, and with knowledge temperance, and with temperance patience, and with patience godlinesse, and with godlinesse brotherlie kindnesse, and with brotherly kindnesse louelove, &c.