Exposition of the Dominical Epistles and Gospels, Section 7
The Gospel. IOHN 1.19.
This is the record of Iohn, When the Iewes sent Priests and Leuites from Ierusalem to aske him, What art thou?
THis Gospell is a dialogue betweene certaine Priests and Iohn the Baptist. The Priests inquire after his person and place, cariage and calling. Their interrogatories are fiue: the which are answered by S. Iohn seuerally; shewing, and that directly, both what he was not, as also what he was; not Christ, not Elias, not the Prophet; but the voice of a Crier in the wildernesse.
The first question is, Who art thou? tDiez conc. 1. Dom. 3. Aduent.Quis ego sum? is the question of a good man? Tu quis es? of an enuious. He that hath a bad house gads abroad. The wicked are u1. Pet. 4.15busie Bishops in other mēs diocesses. A true saying in it selfe, but vponupon this text a false glosse: for it belonged vntounto the xMelanct. Caluin. & Marlorat. in loc.Priests office to mannage the businesse of the Church, and exactly to know what eueryevery Prophet was. And albeit Euth…mius is of opinion, that the Iewes herein malitiously disabled their knowledge: yet it is more probable that they made this question, to see whether he was Christ. For as we read…, Luke 3.15. All men mused in their hearts of Iohn, if he were not the Christ: and our yIohn 5.35.Sauiour told the Iewes plainly, that they for a time reioiced more in Iohn, who was but a candle, then in himselfe who was the Sunne of righteousnesse, and light of the world: and albeit these messengers vttered not so much in word, yet assuredly they harboured such a conceit in their hearts, therefore Iohn answering their zTheophylact. & Cai…tan. in l…c.intention, rather then their question, acknowledged ingenuously, that he was not the Christ.
In which answere, obserue the matter and the manner. In the matter he confessed the truth, denying himselfe, where note his aCu…man in loc. con. 1.modesty; and acknowledging Christ to be the Messias, where note his bZepperus in loc.constancie. Fortè (saith cHom. 7. in E…ang.Gregory) graue non est gloriam & honorem non petere, sed valde graue est non eum suscipere cum offertur. It was then great humility to refuse this honour, which not onelyonly the people, but also the Priests, as it should seeme, were ready to cast vponupon him: hereby teaching vsus in all our actions, to seeke, not our owne, but Gods glory, saying with this holy Baptist, dIohn 3.30.he must increase, but we must decrease. The constant resolution of Iohn is also remarkeable, confessing Christ freely, not only before the multitude, but also before the Leuites and Pharisies, men of great learning, and no lesse place in the Church, and such as he might well suspect would call his preaching into question.
But the maner of his confession exceeds far the matter: hee confessed and denied not, and said plainly, I am not Christ. The which words are not superfluous and idle, for eueryevery tittle of the Scriptures hath his worth and weight. Such repetitions are vsuall in the Bible, to set out things more fully, as eEccles. 1.2.vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, and all is vanity. fCant. 6.12.Returne, returne, O Shulamite returne, returne. gIerem. 22.29.O earth, earth, earth, heare the word of the Lord. By this iteration then of one and the same thing, S. Iohn shewed how vnwilling hee was to rob Christ of that honour, which onelyonly belong…d vntounto him. When hActs 10.26.Cornelius fell downe at Peters feet, and would hauehave worshipped him, Peter instantly tooke him vp, saying; Stand vp, for euen I my selfe am a man. When the men of iActs 14.15.Lystra would hauehave sacrificed vntounto Paul & Barnabas; they rent their clothes, and ran in amóg the people, crying, We are euen men, subiect to the like passions that yee be. When that other Iohn would hauehave worshipped the glorious Angell who shewed him his reuelation, kApoc. 22.9.he said vntounto Iohn; See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow seruant: so carefull are Gods children in all ages to giuegive God the things appertaining to God: honour to whom honour, feare to whom feare, diuine worship to whom diuine worship belongeth. Here wee may iustly condemne the Papists, in giuing that kind of lThom. in 3. sent. dist. 2. & part. 3. quest. 25. a…t. 4.worship to the crosse, which is onelyonly due to Christ. If a man should aske them whether the crucifix were Christ, I hope they would answer with Iohn, and deny, and confesse plainly that it is not the Christ. GiueGive then to the crucifix the respect due to the crucifix, reseruing to the crucified that honour which onelyonly belongs to the crucified.
If a man should aske the bread in the Sacrament, What art thou? it would answere plainly with Iohn, in such language as it can, I am not the Christ; approuing it selfe to our sight and taste, that it is a morsell of bread, a creature, not a Creator, & therefore not to be worshipped & adored as God. If good men on earth, and glorious Angels in heauen, hauehave refused alway to bee reputed Christ; what shamelesse Idolaters are they, who say; heere is Christ, and there is Christ; this is Christ, and that is Christ?
The second question is; Art thou Elias? To which Iohn answers, No. Yet mMatth. 11.14.Christ saith, he is that Elias. An nAugust. tract 4. in Iohan. & Greg. hom. 7. in Euangel.Angel from heauen hath answered this obiection, Luk. 1.17. Iohn Baptist is Elias in power, not in person, indued with the like temperance, like wisdome, like courage. Now the Pharisies imagined that Elias oMalachi 4.5.himselfe should come, not another in the spirit of Elias; and therefore Iohn according to their meaning, answered truly, that he was not Elias. How Ioh… and Elias parallel, see Beauxamis Harmo…. Euangel. Tom. 1. fol. 101. Ludolphus de vita Christi. part. 1. cap. 19. Post…l. catholic. Con. 2. Dom. 4. Aduent. Whether Eli…s shall come before the great day of the Lords second comming, see Luther postil. maior. in loc. and his Maiesties Premonition, from the 62. pag. to the 80.
The third question is, Art thou a Prophet? To which Iohn answered also negatiuely. Christ said he was more then a Prophet: himselfe that he was lesse then a Prophet. There are three degrees of
humility:
1. To submit our selues vntounto our betters.
2. To giuegive place to equals.
3. To yeeld vntounto inferiours.
All these were found in Iohn: he submitted himselfe to superiors, affirming that he was not Christ: he gaue place to equals, answering that he was not Elias: he did yeeld to his inferiors, in saying he was not a Prophet. pMaldonat. in loc.Yea but Iohn out of his humilitie must not tell an vntruth: his father Zacharias in the Benedictus, cals him the Prophet of the most high; and Christ, more then a Prophet. qHom. 15. in Ioan.Chrysostome, rIn loc.Theophylact, Euthymius, and other Greeke fathers are of opinion, that the Pharisies imagined Iohn to be that Prophet spoken of by Moses, Deut. 18.15. The Lord thy God will raise vp vntounto thee a Prophet like vntounto me from among you, euen of thy brethren, vntounto him ye shall hearken. sBeza in Ioban. 1.21.The which text must bee construed either of the whole Colledge of Prophets, or else of Christ, the chiefe of the Prophets: and therefore Iohn answered directly, that he was not that Prophet; foreign the Prophet. tLib. 1. comment. in Ioban.Rupertus, and other Latine Doctors affirme, that the Pharisies in this interrogatory, desired to know whether his office were like that of Esay, Ieremias, Amos, and the old Prophets: vntounto which Iohn might answere well, that he was not such a Prophet: for their office was to foreshew Christ by some works, or foretell him by some words; vel dictis praesignare, vel factis praefigurare, saith Rupertus. But Iohns ambassage was not to foretell that Christ should come, but plainly to tell that Christ was come. Thou shalt be called the Prophet of the most high: not to prefigure, but to goe before the face of the Lord. A Prophet …s a Preacher of the Gospel, not as a Priest of the Law.
Hitherto Iohn Baptist answers negatiuely, shewing what he was not, neither Christ, nor Elias, nor a Prophet. Whe…ein hee did not satisfie the messengers of the Iewes fully. That therefore they might returne a more perfect answere, they further importune and presse him, to know what he was; What saiest thou of thy selfe? The which is the fourth interrogatory. To this Iohn affirmatiuely, declaring what he was: I am the voice of a Crier, &c.
There were two chiefe prophecies of him: one, that he should be that Angel of the Lord; and this, that he should be the voice of a Crier in the wildernesse. Here then uDiez con. 1. Dom. 3. Aduent. & Maldena…. in loc.Interpreters obserue Iohns humility, giuing himselfe the meanest title; not Christ, not an Angell, not a Prophet, but onelyonly vox clamantis, &c. xCulman. con. 2. Dom. 4. Aduent.Wherein he liuely describeth a good Preacher of the Gospell, hee must be the voice of a Crier in the wildernesse, to make straight the way for the Lord.
The word of God is a proclamation in writing, common to all, and the Minister is the voice of the Crier to giuegive notice to the people, that the matter of the proclamation concerneth them and eueryevery one of them: Acts 13.26. Men and brethren, and whosoeuer among you feareth God, to you is the word of this saluatiō sent: To yActs 3.26.you God raised vp his Sonne Iesus, and hath sent him to blesse you by turning eueryevery one of you from your iniquities.
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh: A Preacher therefore must cry from the bottome of his heart: the which is prefigured Ezekiel 3.1. Sonne of man, eat this roll, and goe and speake vntounto the house of Israel. Vtter nothing to the people, but that which thou hast first digested thy selfe.
The voice] A word is first conceiued in the heart: then vttered by the voice; yet we heare the voice before wee know the word: so Christ the eternall Word was before Iohn, and all other Preachers. In the beginning was the Word, and that beginning was before all beginning: yet the world knew not the Word, till it was preached by the voice of men and Angels: albeit the word in it selfe be before the voice, yet vntounto vsus the voice goeth before the word: zIohn 1.15.He that commeth after me was before me. Christ then is the Word; and eueryevery Preacher of Christ is a voice; the which one word confounds all such as being called thereunto, doe neglect their dutie of preaching. In eueryevery voice, specially a Church voice, three commendable qualities are required; that it bee cleere, sweete, and high.
Cleere: for as Hierome said, Omnia in sacerdote debent esse vocalia: All things in a Diuine should preach: his apparell preach, his diet preach, his whole life preach: a1. Tim. 4.12.An example in word, in conuersation, in spirit, in faith, in purenesse. Such a voice was the Baptist; his preaching was of repentance, and he liued as a penitent: as he did boldly speake the truth, so constantly suffer for the truth: on the contrarie, bad manners and false doctrine make harsh and hoarse the loud voice.
Couetous Iudas had an hoarse voyce: filthie Nicolaes an hoarse voyce: Simon Magus an hoarse voyce: Peter in denying his Master, through extreame coldnesse of feare, had an hoarse voyce too for a time. Manicheus, Arius, Pelagius, all Hereticall, Schismaticall, Atheisticall teachers are hoarse voyces in Gods quier.
I…le solus praedicat viua voce, quipraedicat vita & voce.
Secondly, the Church voice must be sweet: eueryevery seed is not to be sowen at eueryevery season, in eueryevery ground: and so it is in Gods husbandrie: The voyce therefore must b2. Tim. 2.15.aright diuide the word which it sings and saies; obseruing time, and keeping it selfe in tune, speaking to the proud boldly, to the meeke mildly, to all wisely. The bels hung on cExod. 28.33.Aarons garment were of pure gold, hereby signifying that Aarons voyce should bee no founding brasse, no iarring cymball, but a sweete ring, prouing sweetly, reprouing sweetly, confuting error sweetly, confirming the truth sweetly; running ouer all the changes of Gods ring, mentioned 2. Tim. 4. without any iarre or false stroke sweetly. Such a voyce was Iohn the Baptist, rebuking dLuke 3.19.Herod, hardened in his wickednes, rufly; taking vp ye dissembling▪ eMatth. 3.7.Pharisies bitterly; speaking to his own disciples gently, singing to eueryevery one the true note fitly: and this, as fPsal. 58.5.Dauid speakes, is to charme wisely.
Thirdly, the Church voyce must bee high, and that in
regard of the Matter, of which He speakes.
regard of the Men, to which He speakes.
And such a voyce was the Baptist also. First for the matter, he reached many streines neuer sung before: Repent, saith he, for the kingdom of heauen is at hand. This note was neuer heard of the people, nor sung by the Priests in old time. Iohn being more then a Prophet, exalted his voyce aboue the Prophets, and in a plaine song, without any crotchets, preached him who is higher then the highest.
Secondly, in regard of the men, to whom he spake: For, as it followeth in the next word, hee was the voice of a Crier. Now men vse to crie aloud,
gThom. caten. i… 3. Ma…th. ex Raban. & Beauxamis Har. Tom. 1. fol. 100.Either
When they speak to mē which are a far off.
When they speake to men which are deafe.
When they are angrie.
Sinners are farre off from God, and exceeding deafe: and therfore we must be angrie crying aloud, and lifting vp our voyce like a hEsay 58.1.Trumpet, shewing the people their transgressions, and to the house of Iacob their sinnes.
First, sinners are farre off, as it is said of the iLuke 15.13.prodigall childe gone into a farre countrey, like kEsay 53.6.lost sheep, straied out of Gods pastures into Satans inclosures: and therfore it is our office not onelyonly to whistle, but also to crie: Returne, returne, ô Shulamite, returne, returne.
God doth not goe from man,Non tellus cymham▪ te…urem cymba relinquit. but man from God. He that saileth nigh a rocke, thinketh the rock runnes from the shippe, when as indeed the shippe rides, and the rock stands still: euen so we leaue the waies of the Lord, and runne our owne courses, and then wee complaine that God is farre from vsus, and that our crie comes not nigh him. It is true that God is lProu. 15.29.farre off from the wicked, not because he is moueable, for hee is euer the same, but because they bee wandring: yet they cannot flie from his mPsal. 139.6. Vbinon est per gratiam, adest per vindictam. August. meditas. cap. 29.presence. The further from East the neerer vntounto the West: the more they goe from Gods grace, the neerer his iustice: nPsal. 119.155.saluation is far from the wicked, but iudgemen hangs ouer their heads. It is our dutie therefore to recall men, à Deo irato ad Deum placatum, from God as an angrie Iudge, to God as a mercifull Father. If we draw neere to God, oIam. 4.8.he will draw neere to vsus: as the good father of the prodigall sonne, when hee perceiued him a farre off, he had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. It is said in the text, that the sonne did go to his father; but the father ran to meete his sonne. The fathers compassion and merciemercy, was greater then the sonnes passion and miserie.
Secondly, sinners are deafe, and therefore wee neede to crie aloud. Some will heare, but with one eare, like pBilney to B. Tonstal, vti Fox Acts & Mon. fol. 917.Malchus in the Gospell, hauing their right eare cut off, and only bringing their left eare to the sermon, misconstruing all things sinisterly: Some stop both their eares; like the deafe adder, refusing to heare the voice of the charmer, charme hee neuer so wisely: Psalme 58.5. qIn Psal. 57. Tom. 8. fol. 392.S. Augustine writing vponupon those words, hath reported out of naturall Historiographers, that the serpent delighting in the darknesse, where withall he hath inclosed himselfe, claspeth one of his eares hard to the ground, and with his taile stoppeth the other, lest hearing the Marsus hee should be brought foorth to the light: so worldly men stop one eare with earth, that is, with couetousnesse; and the other with their taile, that is, hope of long life. r… 22.29.Ieremie therfore crieth: O earth, earth, earth. O vnhappie caitiue, thou that hast nothing but earth in thy mouth, euer talking of worldly wealth: thou hast nothing but earth in thy minde, euer plotting how to ioyne house to house, and field to field; nothing but earth in thine hands, euer busied about the trifles of this life; heare the word of the Lord, which s1. Tim. 6.17.18chargeth thee not to trust in vncertaine riches, but in the liuing God: and that thou be rich in good workes, euermore readie to distribute while thou hast time; stop not thine eare from the crie of the poore with hope of long life, but remember what Iob saith in his 21. chap. vers. 13. They spend their daies in wealth, and suddenly they go downe to hell. tLuk. 12.20.O foole this night will they fetch away thy soule from thee, then whose shall those things be which thou hast prouided?
Thirdly, men speake aloud, when as they be angrie: so the Preacher ought to be zealous in the cause of God; euermore displeased with the sinnes of his people, saying with uPsal. 139.21.Dauid; Doe not I hate them, O Lord, who hate thee? and am not I grieued with those that rise vp against thee? Such a crier was S. Peter ▪ telling Simon the Sorcerer that he was in the xAct. 8.23.gall of bitternes & bond of iniquitie. Such a crier was Paul, taking vp Elymas; yAct. 13.10.O full of mischiefe, the childe of the diuell, and enemie of all righteousnesse, &c. Such a crier was zIrenaeus lib. 3. cap. 3.Polycarpus, who told Marcion that he was the diuels darling. And such a crier eueryevery Diuine should bee, as a Simon helping to beare the crosse of the distressed; and a aAct. 4.36.Barnabas, which is the sonne of consolation: so like Iames and Iohn, stiled in bMark. 3.17.scripture Bonarges, which is, sonnes of thunder: as cSerm. 64.Ambrose fitly, vox and clamor must goe together, the voice preach faith, the crie repentance; the voice comfort, the crie threaten; the voice sing merciemercy, the crie sound iudgement: so most dMusculus & Maldonat. in Matth. 3.3. Iansen. concord. cap. 13. D…z con. 1. D…m 3. Aduent.Interpreters expound vox clamantis, according to the vulgar Hebraisine, vox clamans. Yet it is a good obseruation of eAquin. caten. Mat…h. …. Rupertus com. in Matth. lib. 2. …ol. 17.other, that Iohn is not the crier, but the voice of the crier: for it is Christ who crieth in Preachers, he speakes by the fLuke 1.70.mouth of all his holie Prophets: he crieth, O ye gProu. 1.22.foolish, how long will yee louelove foolishnes? he crieth, Repent, for the kingdome of God is at hand: he crieth, Come v…to me all ye that are wearied and laden, and I will refresh you. To day then if yee will heare his voice harden not your hearts, but suffer the words of exhortation and doctrine: be moued at his crie, lest he despise your call. As he saith in the first of the Prouerbs: Because I hauehave called, and yee hauehave refused, I hauehave stretched out mine hand, and none would regard: therefore they shall call vponupon me, but I will not answere: they shall seeke me earely, but they shall not finde me. Think on this all ye that forget God, ye that suffer Christ to stand and knock, and crie at the doore of your hearts, and yet ye will not let him in.
In the wildernes] That is, in the world a desert of goodnes, wherein the Preacher must fight with beasts, as h1. Cor. 15.32.Paul at Ephesus in the shapes of men, crying vntounto rauening wolues, couetous foxes, roaring lions, &c. Here is the place where he must crie: for in heauen there is no crying, but all singing, and in hell there is no crying, to take heede of woe; but howling and crying for woe: while then you are in the iMatth. 5.25.way, while it is called to kHeb. 3.13.day, giuegive eare to the voice of the crier.
Or in the wildernes] That is, lCalu. & Marlorat. in Mat. 3. ex Hilario & Gregorio.Ierusalem; out of order as a desert: or in the wildernes: that is, among the mEx Hieronymo & Ambrosio. Pontanus in theatro Dom. 4. Aduent.gentiles and desolate people, strangers from the commonwealth of Israel, and aliants from the couenants of promise before Christs comming: but now the nEsay 54.1.desolate hath moe children then the married wife. The Gentiles heretofore were without an husband, and the synagogue of the Iewes had God for her louelove; but now contrariewise the Church conuerted to the faith, beares moe children vntounto God then euer the synagogue did. The voice of the crier shall gather and call so many sheepe to Christs fold, that the wildernes shall say in her heart, oEsay 49.21.Who hath begotten me these children, seeing I am barren and desolate?
Or in the wildernes] pCoster. con. 3. Dom. 3. Aduent.Literally, because that is the most fit place for the Preacher of repentance, wherein there is least tumult: and againe, to signifie that the people should follow the Pastor; not the Pastor humour the people. The Preacher is the voice of a crier in the wildernes, not a carpet diuine for table Gospellers in a corner. I will not any further examine the place, the end is all, and that is to make straight the way of the Lord.
The wicked walke either in circles, or else in ouertwhart waies. Impij ambulant in circuitu, saith qPsal. 12.6.Dauid, wearying themselues in the labyrinth of their vnruly desires; or if they walke not circularlie, they walke in wrie waies and by-waies opposite to the Lords way: for example; The vaine glorious doe all their good workes to be rMatth. 7.1.5.seene of men, and so they crosse Gods way tending to another end; onelyonly the children of God walke in the straight way, in a right line beginning and ending in God; as eueryevery good gift is from him, so it is by them referred vntounto him; as his is the power, so his is the praise.
The end of our preaching is not to make way for our selues & our own preferment, but for our Master and his glorie: Make streight the way of the Lord, as saith the Prophet Esay. Wherefore leauing all other expositions, I come to the Prophets interpretation, as it is recorded in his 40. Chapter, at the 3. and 4. verses. A voice crieth in the wildernes, prepare yee the way of the Lord: make streight in the desert a path for our God. EueryEvery valley shall be exalted, and eueryevery mountaine and hill shall be made lowe: and the crooked shall bee straight, and the rough places plaine.
Now these things are to be construed in a sHyperius in loc. Esaiae.spirituall sense. For tThomas caten. in 3. Matth. ex Chrysost.as Kings in their solemne progresses hauehave their waies leuelled and straightned against their comming into the countrie: so the Preachers as harbingers and sumners of Christ, ought to prepare the people, that he may come vntounto them, as about this time he came vntounto them. Presumption and pride make mountaines and hils in Christs way; desperation holes in Christs way; vaineglorie makes crooked the way: couetous cares are briers and bushes in the way; noisome lust makes foule the way: wherefore the voice of the crier in the wildernes must dig downe the mountaines, exalt the valleis, stub vp the briers, make smooth the rough, rectifie ye crooked. Behold, saith God to the uIerem. 1.10.Prophet, I hauehave set thee ouer the nations, and ouer the kingdomes to plucke vp, and to roote out, and to destroy and ouerthrow, to builde and to plant. The which xS… …. Biis… against … Iesuites, fol. 160, 161.text is wrested by the Papists exceedingly, to proue that the Pope hath authoritie to depose Princes, and dispose of their crownes at his pleasure. But God expoundes himselfe in the words immediatly before: I hauehave made thee a Prophet, and put my words into thy mouth: a Preacher with words in his mouth, not a Magistrate with a sword in his hand; and therefore their owne yLyra in Iere. 1glossographer interprets it thus: I hauehave appointed thee to roote vp; that is, to roote vp vices, to beate downe heresies, and to build vp vertues. And zIn loc. Ierem.Theodoret; To root vp kingdoms is nothing else but to denounce Gods heauie iudgements against them: As Hierome; To cast them downe by the word of Almightie God. Vt facias opus prophetae, sarculo, non sceptro, opus est tibi, saith aDe considerat. lib. 2.Bernard; That thou maist doe the worke of a Prophet, thou must hauehave a weeding hooke, not a scepter: And as bPastoral. part. 3 ad…on…t. 35.Gregorie notes aptly, the Prophet is willed here first to roote vp, and after to plant; because the foundation of truth is neuer well laid, except the frame of error be first subuerted: at the first wee must cast downe the mountaines by the preaching of the Law; then exalt the valleyes by the preaching of the Gospell. Such a voice was the Prophet c2. Sam. 12.Nathan: at the first he did cast downe the mountaine, the presumptuous hypocrisie of King Dauid, rebuking him for his sinnes, and thundring out iudgements for the same: but when he saw this huge mountaine cast down, when Dauid was vnderunder foote, deiected in spirit, crying out, I hauehave sinned against the Lord; Nathan presently raiseth vp this valley, saying, The Lord hath taken away thy sinne. This course dA…. 2.S. Peter vsed in his first sermon, in beginning whereof hee charged the Iewes with their sinnes: but so soone as they were pricked in their hearts, and said, Men and brethren what shall we doe? S. Peter presently lifteth them vp againe by preaching Christ for the remission of sinnes. And well might Iohn call himselfe such a voice, for all his preaching stood vponupon two legs; repentance, and faith; eMatth. 3.10.digging downe the mountaines by the one, and fIoh. 1.29.raising vp the valleyes by the other.
The great Doctor hauing heauen for his chaire, earth for his schoole, the whole Bible for his text, and the whole world for his audience; began this method in the first sermon that euer was made: Gen. 3. Adam by following his new schoolemaster the diuell, waxed proud, and began to grow so big as a mountaine: God therfore doth first cast him downe, shewing the greatnesse of his fault, and then hee raiseth him vp againe, by promising that the seede of the woman should bruse the Serpents head. Seeing then wee hauehave both precept and paterne from God himselfe; let vsus bee followers of him as deare children, pulling downe the mightie from their seates, and exalting the humble and meeke. To begin with the first:
There are two sorts of mountaines:
One assuming too much vntounto thē selues, out of their owne merit.
The other presuming too much vponupon Gods merciemercy.
EueryEvery man is naturally like Simon the Sorcerer, Act. 8. conceiting himselfe to be some great man: as Martin gLoc. com. tit. de pro…ect. in Christianism.Luther said, All of vsus hauehave a Pope bred in vsus; an opinion of our owne workes: albeit there be in vsus no reall vertue, no true substance; yet, Narcissus like, we are inamoured with our owne shadowes: and this is the hLuther. vbi sup. …it. de praesumption.Serpents head, the beginning of all euill: Omnium iniustitiarum est ferè sola causa iustitia. Wherefore we must labour euerie day to dig downe this high mountaine: we must descend that wee may iAugust. confes lib. 4. cap. 12. descendite vt ascendatis ad Deum, cecidistis enim ascendendo contra eum.ascend: as wee fell by ascending, so wee must be raised by descending. Beda wrote of the Publican: Appropinquare noluit ad Deum, vt appropinquaret ad illum. Hee that will not be a mountaine in Christs way, must not be a mount-bank of his owne vertue, but leuell himselfe euen with the ground, kPhilip. 2.12.working his saluation in feare and trembling.
The second kinde of mountaines are such as raise themselues vponupon meere presumption of merciemercy, boasting of a shorter cut to heauen then either the good works of Papists, or good words of Puritanes, abusing that sweete text of lRom. 5.20.Paul; Where sinne aboundeth, there grace superaboundeth. Indeed where sinne is mCal. & Aquin. in loc Paul.felt and grieued for, the…e Gods grace is greater then our sinne, nMelancthon in loc. Paul. tom. 4. fol. 124.both in imputation and effect: for our sinnes are finite, whereas his goodnesse is infinite, the salue is greater then the sore. oAugust. de spiritu & litera, cap. 6.Non peccantis merito, sed superuenientis auxilio. But when we draw iniquitie with cords of vanitie, and sinne as with cartropes; when wee speake good of euill, and euill of good; when as without any remorse we sin presumptuously; when as we fall not forward as Abraham and Ezechiel, but backward as old p1. Sam. 4.18.Eli, and the qIohn 18.6.Iewes who tooke Christ; then assuredly the more sin, the lesse grace. Shall wee continue still in sinne that grace may abound? God forbid. Yea God hath forbidden it, enioyning vsus to bee holie as hee is holie, that being deliuered out of the hands of all our enemies, wee might serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our life.
A man is deiected and made a valley two waies: in regard of his
Great faults.
Little faith.
The voice of the Crier must pronounce Gods proclamation and generall pardon for the one, and applie it in particular for the strengthening of the other.
The fift and last question of the Pharisies is: Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not the Christ, neither Elias, nor the Prophet? VntoUnto which Iohn answered: I baptize with water, &c.
This last interrogatorie was the first in their intention: rAmmonius in caten. Graec. ci. tat.for the Pharisies had a tradition, that none might baptize but Christ, or some great Prophet, and therefore they did first aske craftily whether hee were Christ or a Prophet: and then hauing sMaldonat. in loc. ex Chrysost.vndermined him thoroughly, with what authoritie doest thou baptize? being neither Christ, nor Elias, nor a Prophet? S. Iohns answere is opposite, but apposite. tMelancthon. loc. com▪ tit. de baptis. Ioan. & Christi.I am a Minister, but not a Messias; I giuegive the outward signe, but Christ is he who doth giuegive the inward grace: I baptize you with water, uMatth. 3.11.but hee that commeth after me shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and fire. xDoct. Fulk in Matth. 3.11.In which he compareth the ministerie of man with the power of God; the outward baptisme with the spirituall baptisme: where of the first is done by the hand of man, the other is peculiar only to Christ. yCalu. & Marlorat. in 3. Mat. 11. & Melanct. vbi supra.The comparison is not as the Papists imagine, betweene the baptisme of Iohn and Christ, but betweene the person of Iohn and Christ: for the baptisme of Iohn and Christ are one, both in effect and authoritie: for Iohns baptisme was not of his owne deuising, but of Gods institution: as hee sheweth his commission in the first of Ioh. 33. He that sent me to baptize with water, &c. a text which hath made zDesacramento Baptismi▪ lib. 1. cap. 20.Bellarmine contradict himselfe twice in one page. For whereas he first had set downe peremptorily that Iohn instituted his owne baptisme; now hee confesseth honestly that God was author of it for the matter in generall, but not for the manner in particular: and yet after long search hee cannot finde in what rite Iohns baptisme differs from Christs.
It is an axiome deliuered in their owne aLombard. sent. l.b. 4. distinct 3.schoole, that there are but two things essentiall in Baptisme, verbum & elementū, the outward element of water, and inuocation of the blessed Trinitie. So S. bTract. 80. in Ioan. Tom. 9. fol. 303.August. Accedit verbum ad elementū & fit sacramentū: Other things are required in a Sacramēt circumstantially, not substantially. Now Bellarmine out of this text grants that Iohn vsed the right element: for he saith, I baptize you with water: and out of cDe spiric. sanct. lib. 1. cap. 3.Ambrose cites against himselfe, that Iohn inuocated the sacred Trinitie, Father, Sonne and holie Ghost: Ergo. the baptisme of Iohn and Christ are one for essence: so likewise one in effect, for Iohn preached the baptisme of repentance dMark. 1.4.for the remission of sinnes: Ergo, forgiuenes of sinnes is by the baptisme of Iohn ▪ so well as by the baptisme of the blessed Apostles: as eLib. 5. de baptism cap 10.Augustin, fDe baptism. lib. 1. cap. 2.Basil. gOrat. de laudib… Basilij.Greg. Nyssen. out of that text obserue: neither doth the hVbi sup. ca. 21.Cardinal disauow their glosse, though the Councell of iSess. 7. con. 1.Trent hath denounced anathema to such as hold baptismum Ioannis habuisse eandem vim cum baptismo Christi … let Matthaeus Tortus, if he can vnloose this wedge for his Master. I feare that ouerthwart Diuine so little, that I say with Luther; Hunc nodū ne que soluunt, ne que soluent vnquam omnes papicolae in vnum Chaos confusi. The Scripture makes no difference betweene Iohns and our baptisme: but this only; kMelanct. in 3. Mat. tom. 3. fol. 256that we baptise in Christum passum & r…suscitatum; whereas Iohn baptised lActs 19.4.in Christum passurum & resurrecturum See Epist. Dom. 17. post. Trin.