The Autumn Part from the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Gospel 9
The Gospell.
IOHN 4. 46.
There was a certaine ruler, whose sonne was sicke at Capernaum, &c.
THis Gospell hHeming.teacheth vsus, whether we should flee for succour in all the troubles of this life: namely to the fountaine of all welfare Iesus Christ. According to that of iChap. 12 3.Esay; Ye shall draw water out of the welles of the Sauiour. To this well a Christian ought to come not with feete, but with faith, and then kIoel 2. 32.eueryevery one that calleth vponupon the name of the Lord shall be saued.
In the whole storie you may behold 4. principall persons:
1. A louing father.
2. A sicke sonne.
3. A pitifull Sauiour.
4. Dutifull seruants.
In the father obserue two things: his
Great fortune, being regulus, a little king, a ruler.
Great faith, hauing three lBeda. Ludolphus. Panigarol.degrees, a
Beginning, in desiring Christ to come downe and heale his sonne.
Encrease, in beleeuing the word that Iesus had spoken.
Full growth, in that him selfe simply beleeued and all his household.
As for the greatnesse of his honour. mApud Thom. in loc.Origen thinks he was of Caesars familie. nIn Esaiae cap. 65. circa prin.Hierome, that he was a Palatine, happily controller of Herods house. oDe vita Christi part. 1. cap. 63.Ludolphus and Lyra, that he was Deputie Lieutenant of Galile, for Galile belonged vntounto the iurisdiction of Herod, Luke 23. 7. pSee Musculus & Maldonat in loc.Other, that he was a ruler in Capernaum, where his son was sicke. What he was it is vncertaine now, for one generation passeth, and another generation succeedeth, Ecclesiastes 1. 4. and the fashion of this world goeth away, 1. Cor. 7. 31. But it is certaine that he whilome was qTheophylact. Euthym. Erasmus.either noble by descent, or degree; fauoured in the Court, honoured in the Country, a man of worth and qualitie. Which our Euangelist insinuates in his stile, calling him aruler, as also rOrigen apud Thom. in loc.for that he was attended well, his seruants met him, vers. 51. sAretius. Marlorat. Zepperus.Where note by the way, that it is not impossible for a great man to be a good man, or for Caesars fauourite to be Christs follower. Almightie God hath elect children among all sorts of people, Magdalen among harlots, Zaccheus among oppressors, Matthew among Publicanes, and heere this ruler in Herods Court. Indeed tDe Consid. lib. 4.Bernard was wont to complaine that the Court is wont to receiue such as are good, but to make them bad. Bonos facilius recipere quàm facere, nam plures in aula defecisse bonos quàm profecisse malos probauimus. And uLib. 5. de asse.Budaeus saith all Courtiers must be like Cameleons, accommodating themselues vntounto all companies, vt assentioni & assentationi sci…è asseruiatur, resembling an herbe called Tripolium, which (as xIn mirabilibus narrat.Antigonus reports) eueryevery day changeth colour thrice, being sometime white, sometime violet, sometime carnation. Apparent parasites, yMagdehur. epist …refix. C…nt. 7.vno ore calislum & frigidum pro suis commodis efflare periti: creeping vp to honor through a zS…neca. Per mi…e indignita…es in consummationem dignitatis.thousand dishonors.
aHippolitus à Collibus in Aulico politico.In aula Regis non est multum legis,
Si qui sunt boni coguntur esse onos,
Si qui sunt mali sunt in gratia regali.
And bS…resbur. in policrat.another to the same purpose: Quò quis corruptior moribus, & corrumpentior muneribus eò beatior. The Court is all for money, making cIoh 1. 14.oxen to labour, and asses to seed. A mint of fashions, an exchange of complements, a shame to shamefastnesse, Bez … in epitaph. Secret. Reg. Gall.omnis sceleris mater nutrix que nefandi. Yet notwithstanding Ioseph was a good man in the Court of Pharao, Daniel a good man in the Court of Darius, Mordecai a good man in the Court of Ahasuerus, and this ruler a good man in the Court of Herod.
The faith of this …uler in the beginning was very weake: first, in fChrysost. hom. 34. in Ioan. Idem Hugo Cara. & alij.that he did not seeke vntounto Christ vntill he was almost at his owne doores, as the context euidently, Iesus came againe into Cana a towne of Galile, where hee had made of water wine, and there was a certaine ruler, &c. Secondly, gMusculus. Pon…an.for that hee did not entreat Christ to cure the sinne so well as the sicknesse of his sonne. Thirdly, for that he came not to Christ in the hPanigar…beginning of his sonnes infirmitie, but as wee may gather at such a time when all other Physitians had forsaken him, euen at the point of death. Fourthly, all Interpretors obserue, that he was iBrentius apud Marlorat in loc.rudissimae fidei & infantis, in beseeching Christ to come downe and heale his sonne, as if Christ being God could not as well hauehave holpen him absent as present. Againe, when he beleeued Christs saying, Goe thy way, thy sonne liueth: his faith as yet was kSee Panigar. part. …. hom. in loc.infirme and full of wauering. lAugustin. tr…ct. 16. in Ioan. …dem Leontius apud Maldonat. in loc.Otherwise hee would neuer hauehave made such a doubt, and asked such a question of his attendants, at what houre began he to amend? But when he knew certainly that his son was healed miraculously by Christ, and not by casuall or any naturall meanes, himselfe and his whole family beleeued absolutely. When he first heard of Christ his faith was a very sparke, when he beleeued Christ, it did kindle, but when hee beleeued in Christ it was a great flame giuing light to his houshold. So that our blessed Sauiour in vttering one word, healed mCyrillus.two, namely the fathers soule and the sonnes body. Thus I hauehave shewed vntounto you the faith of this old father, and the fruites thereof: first, in being so carefull for his child. Secondly, nSee Zepper. Con. 1. & Ferus Con. 2. in loc.for that in his affliction he went not for helpe to witches, as Saul, 1. Sam. 28, 8. nor to diuels, as Ahazia, 2. King. 1. 2 nor onelyonly to Physitians, as King Asa, 2. Chron. 16. 12. but to Christ, and that in his owne person, although a ruler and a man of eminent quality. Thirdly, in that he was such an earnest sutor againe and againe, desiring Christ to visit his sicke sonne. Fourthly, in that he cast off his doubting and infidelity. Lastly, yet chiefly, for that all his house was instructed in the faith of Christ, and feare of God. So oIosua 24. 15.Iosua, so pActs 16. 15.Lydia, so Crispus the chiefe ruler of the Synagogue Acts 18. 8. and so must qMelanct. Musculus. Bullinger.eueryevery master of a family bring vp his houshold in instruction and information of the Lord. EueryEvery man is a King and a Prophet in his owne priuat house, so that hee can want no meanes, except hee want a minde to performe this holy businesse.
In the sicke son you may note
1. His sicknesse expressed in the text, sicke of a feuer.
2. The causes of his sicknesse, surfetting and riot, implied (as may be suspected) rPontan in loc.that he was the sonne of a ruler, and in sLudolphus de vita Christ. part. 1. cap. 63.Capernaum a dissolute City.
tProu. 31. 30.Fauour is deceitfull, and uEcclesiastes. 11. 10.youth is vanity, riches auaile not in the day of wrath Prou. 11. 4. nay the scepter cannot keepe vsus from the sepulchre. Yong men as well as old men, and Gentlemen as well as Poore men are sicke and weake and die. The children of rulers ordinarily be most vnruly, giuen ouer to chambering and wantonnesse, and so by consequent they be xZepper. Con. 1. in. loc.more subiect to sicknesse then other, in being more subiect to sinne then other. A drowsinesse of spirit is their quartan, incontinence their tertian, pride and gluttony their quotidian ague. How sinne resembleth a feuer in condition, kind and cure: see Ludolphus vbi sup. in margin. Iacob. de Uorag. serm. 2. Ferus serm. 4. in loc. Bonauentura diet. salut. cap. 1. Pontan. Bibliothec. Con. Tom. 4. fol. 313.
In Christ, the third, yet the most obseruable person in all this history, 2. things are to be considered especiallie:
1. His rebuking the ruler.
2. His relieuing the ruler.
The Ruler was at the first in fide tepidus aut frigidus, as yTract. 16. in Ioan.Augustine notes, and therefore Christ chides him, except yee see signes and wonders ye will not beleeue. Uerba rogantis audimus, cor diffidentis non videmus: sed ille pronunciauit, qui & verba audiuit, & cor inspexit. This reprehension is not Iudge-like, but zHeming.father-like, concerning the aMarlorat.whole Nation of the Iewes in generall, as much as this Ruler in particular. In token whereof (as bMusculus Aretius.Interpretors obserue) Christ vseth not the singular, except thou: but the plurall number, except ye. cMaldonat in loc.As if he should hauehave said, I must in regard of your incredulity shew signes and wonders, otherwise yee will not beleeue. I will heale thy sonne therefore not so much vponupon thy petition, as for the confirmation of others faith. I will not goe downe to thine house, yet I will worke such a wonder in thine house, that not onelyonly thy selfe but all thine shall beleeue. Goe thy way, thy sonne liueth.
The petition of the Ruler consists of dArdens.two branches: one, that Iesus would come downe; another, that hee would heale his sonne. Now Christ reiected the first as being vnfit, but hee granted the second wherein he prayed well, helping his childe not by going downe, but by speaking one word, Thy sonne liueth.
In the seruants heere mentioned two vertues are commendable: first, eZepper.louelove to their master in obeying his commands and reioycing at his good. Secondly, fAretius.faith in Christ: The ruler did beleeue the word of Iesus, and they the report of the ruler, and so both hereby became happy. Let eueryevery master in like sort teach his houshold, and eueryevery seruant heare the good instruction of his master, gHeming.that there may be so many Churches as there be families, and so many Chappels as there be chambers in eueryevery house: that being armed with the complet harnesse of God, we may quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and withstand all his assaults in the euill day.
Grant we beseech thee mercifull Lord, to thy faithfull people, pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sinnes, and serue thee with a quiet minde, through Iesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.