Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels, Explication of epistles and gospels 1 · Part 8
The Gospell
MATTH. 23.34.
I send vntounto you Prophets, and wise men, and Scribes, &c.
IT is a good obseruation in the Churches historie, that these three commonly succeed each other. rMagdeburg. epist. prefix. cent. 5.Ingentia beneficia, ingentia peccata, ingentes pocnae. The present Gospell is an example hereof, in which all the same points are very remarkable.
1 Ingentia beneficia, Christs exceeding great mercy toward the Iewes in seeking their conuersion as well by himselfe, as his messengers. And those Prophets, and wisemen, and Scribes, and that not once but often: how often would I hauehave gathered? and that not cursorily, but sTheophylact. Euthym. Aquin.earnestly; Ierusalem, Ierusalem, not coldly, but affectionately, like as the benne gathereth her chickens vnderunder her wings.
2 Ingentia peccata, the Iewes exceeding great malice toward Christ, abusing his
meanes, ye would not.
ministers
of all sorts
Prophets.
Wisemen.
Scribes.
with all kind of iniury,
Killing.
Crucifying.
Stoning.
Scourging.
Persecuting.
in all places, not sparing so much as the Sanctuarie, whom yee shew betweene the temple and the altar.
At all times, for it is not heere, thou that hast killed in time past, or thou that wilt kill in time to come: but in the present, thou that killest and stonest. t….Intimating their continuall habit in killing the Prophets, and stoning such as were sent vntounto them. As if he should hauehave said, uMath. at.qua occidissi, & occides, & occisara es.
3. Ingentes paere, both in respect of the
Guilt, that vponupon you may come all the righteous bloud, &c.
Punishment, behold, your house is left vntounto you desolate.
Or as x… 3. in loc.other, their punishment is threefold,
Temporall, your house is left vntounto you desolate.
Spirituall, yee shall not see mee henceforth.
Eternall, that vponupon you may come all the righteous blood.
Wherefore behold] This yMaldorat.Idea renders not there son why Christ did send Prophets vntounto this people; but imports the true cause why they persecuted such as were sent: namely, because they were serpents, and a generation of …pers, as it is in the words immediately going before. z… … 10. cap. 62.Vipers are conceiued by byting off the males head, and borne by renting the females belly: so they killed their spirituall Fathers the Prophets,a … M…r. 3.7. and rent in sander the compassionate bowels of their deare mother the Church.
I send] b… 10.15.How shall they preach except they be sent, no man ought to take that honour vntounto himselfe but he that is called of God. Heb. 5.4. c… …Here then obserue that Christ is very God, taking vponupon him as the master of the dMath. 10.8.vineyard, and Lord of the eMath. 9.32.haruest, to thrust forth labourers into the Church. f….It is a token of his mercy to send Prophets, and Wisemen, and Scribes vntounto any nation, and an infassible demonstration of his seuere iudgment not to send: according to that of the Prophet Amos in his 8. chapter at the 11. verse: Behold, the daies come, saith the Lord, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord.
Prophets, and Wisemen, and Scribes.] Howsoeuer all these may be gAcost. in loc. ex Hilar. & Chrys…st.confounded, and meet in one, yet I thinke with hComan loc.Hierome, and iSoarez. Musculus. Marlot. in loc.other expositors, that Christ vsed so many tearmes to shew the riches and k1. Cor. 12.4.diuersities of his grace, ordaining some to be Apostles, and some Pastor, and teachers, Ephes. 4.11. As if hee should hauehave said, I will omit no meanes for your conuersion, I will send vntounto you messengers endued with all varietie of gifts, administrations, and operations. Some distinguish Prophets, and Wisemen, and Scribes after this sort: lPerus ser. 3. de S Stephano.Prophetae sunt, quifutura praenunciant; Sapientes, qui recte praesentibus vtuntur; Scribae, qui praeterita nobis in memoriam, reuocant.
God hath dealt with England as with Iewrie, speaking vntounto vsus mIer. 7.13.early and late by his Wickliffes and Whit gifts, Bilwys and Bradfords: giuing vsus his Latymors and Ridleys, and other Iewels of all sorts: vsing all kindes of messengers, adorned with all kindes of gifts; sending zealous Preachers endowed with the spirit of prophecie, politicke Prelates endued with the spirit of wisdome, iudicious and accurate writers endued with the spirit of knowledge, who like learned Scribes nMat. 13.52.taught vntounto the kingdome of heauen, are able to bring forth out of their treasure things both new and old. Ierusalem had many Prophets, and great is the number of our Preachers. England affoords an Eli for an Eliah, and a Matthew for a Matthew, &c. In the first obseruable point of our text concerning Ingentia beneficia, Gods owne people, the Iewes and wee parallell.
And some of them shall yee kill and crucifie.] Some they killed, as oAct. 12.2.Iames the brother of Iohn, with the sword. Some they crucified, as Peter, and Christ himselfe the Lord of life, Act. 3.15. Some they scourged, as Paul, for thus hee p.c. writes of himselfe: Of the Iewes fiue times receiued I fortie stripes saue one; I was twice beaten with rods. Some they persecuted from Citie to Citie. as Barnabas. Act. 13.50 Some they vexed with all these kindes of cruelties, as S. Steuen on this day. They gnashed at him with their teeth, Act. 7.54. and scourged him with their tongues, suborning men which said, we hauehave heard him speake blasphemous words against Moses and God, Act. 6.11. They brought him to the qAct. 6.12.Councell, and rAct. 7 58.cast him out of the Citie. They persecuted him in words, disputing against him; and in deed, despighting him, vntill in fine they stoned this holy Prophet sent vntounto them. In a word, they made such sAct. 8.3.hauocke of the Church, as that the messengers of God complained out of the bitternesse of their spirit; tPsal. 44.22. R…m. 8.36.For thy sake are wee killed all the day long, and are counted as sheepe appointed to be slaine.
Sanguine fundata est ecclesia sanguine creuit,
Sanguine decres…it, sanguine finis erit.
Yet for all this let no Preacher or professor discourage himselfe, for S. Steuen in the middest of his afflictions (as it is recorded in this daies Epistle) saw the heauens open, and Iesus standing at the right hand of God. It is said in the Creed, that Christ sitteth at the right hand of God: but when his faithfull seruant Steu…n was martyred, hee was standing. Now then if Christ stand with vsus, who can withstand vsus? happily we may weepe for a time, but all teares shall be wiped away from our eies: uApoc. 21.the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort shall assist vsus in our tribulation so gratiously, that a… the sufferings of Christ abound in vsus, euen so our consolation shall abound through Christ. 2 Cor. ….3.5.
x….Mystically heretick scourge Catholicks with their venomous tongues, & by labouring to thrust them out of their holds … 2.10.built vponupon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostle, into new found habitations, raised vponupon the zMa…. 7 26.sands of humane aC…los. 2.8.philosophie; what doe they but persecute them (as it were) from Citie to Citie? The Pagans first, and the Papists afterward did actually kill, and crucifie and scourge, and persecute the Saints of God in this Iland, as well Abel as Zachary, bArdens. Anselm. Caietan. in loc.that is, the laymen and the Clergie, the lowest of the people, so well as the highest of the Priests. And albeit in our time wee need not happily feare their murthering; yet wee still feele their murmuring against vsus. And with them are ioyned another generation of Vipers, I meane the schismaticall brood, whipping vsus in their words, and scourging vsus in their writings, according to their will and wit hourely killing the Prophets, and stoning such as are sent vntounto them. For whereas there be two kinds of death, one naturall, another ciuill. If any discredit the good life, or discountenance the sound doctrine of his Pastor, by raising false tales, and suborning false witnesses against him, as the Iewes against Steuen: what doth hee but ciuilly, or rather indeed vnciuilly like a Iew murther his Preacher. And such a Minister as patiently beares these wrongs, and suffers these dilapidations in his credit, is a very Steuen, a meere Martyr. For (as cApud discipul…m ser. 13. de S. Stephano.Gregory notes) there bee three kinds of martyrdome without any shedding of blood. 1. To be patient in our owne misery. 2. To bee compassionate in anothers aduersitie. 3. To louelove our enemies hartily. Thus in the second part of our text also touching ingentia peccatae, the Iewes and English are parallels.
That vponupon you may come all the righteous blood, which hath been shed vponupon earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel vntounto the blood of Zacharias.] Here two questions are moued: First, who was this Zacharias. Secondly, how all the righteous bloud shed vponupon earth is required of this generation. Concerning the first: it is thought by dApud Hier. & Euthym. in loc.some that this Zacharias is that Zacharie numbred among the twelue lesser Prophets, in that his eZach. 1.1.fathers name well agrees with this historie. But that opinion is censured as improbable, because the Scripture saith not any where that this Prophet was slaine between the Temple and the altar. f…Other affirme that this Zacharias is the father of Iohn the Baptist, mentioned Luk. ….5. of whom it is reported by tradition, that the Iewes …lew him betweene the Temple and the Altar, for that as hee was a Priest, he did ranke Mary the mother of Christ, after she had conceiued and brought forth her sonne, with vnspotted Virgins in the Temple. But saith In ….Hierom…, … de scripturis non habet … …o…itatem, eadem facilitate c…temnitur qu… probatur. h….Other hold that this Zacharias is that zealou Zacharias the sonne of Ieho…ada, who (for that hee did openly rebuke the Iewes for their abominable Idolatrie) was stoned by them in the court of the house of the Lord 2. Chro. 24.21. Neither is their any contradiction between the sonne of Barach…as, and the sonne of …: seeing Ieho…a might hauehave two names, or else called Bar…chi… (in the Hebrew signifying blessed of the Lord) because … the Priest 12 C…ro 24.16.had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house. For mine owne part, I coniecture that this Zacharias is hee, who was martyred at the beginning of the siege of Ierusalem in the daies of Vespasian the Romane Emperour. For the k… lib. 5. cap. 1.story saith expresly, that he was the sonne of Baruch or …arachias, and that hee was slaine by the Iewes in the mi…est of the Temple. The clause (whom yee … serue… to crosse this exposition a little, but it is auoided easily, l….because Christ here speaking prophetically, reports that to be done, which was yet to come. This interpretation of all the rest, amplifieth most as well the sinne, as the punishment of the Iewes; in that all the righteous blood from the first Martyr among them vntounto the last, euen from … vntounto … while the… City was … is laid vntounto their cha…ge.
Touching the second doubt: wee read in holy Bible that there be two generations, one good, another bad: a m….blessed generation of the faithful, e…en of such as nPsal. 24.6.feare God; and a generation of …, as Christ in thi… present chapter. As then the generation of such as oHeb 13.17.obey their ouerseers, and kisse the pR…m. 10 15.feet of such as bring glad tidings of peace, shall receiue the qMat. 10.41.reward of a Prophet: euen so the generation of such as kill the Prophets, and …one such as are sent vntounto them, if they fulfill the rMat. 23.32.measure of their fathers sinne, they shall hauehave their portion and proportion in their fathers punishment also. For albeit sEz…ch. 18.20.the sonne shall not beare the iniquitie of the father, neither shall the father beare the iniquitie of the sonne: tHieron. Caluin. Musculus in l…c.yet if the sonne… are partners with their parents, in imitation the uMat 23 31.children of such as murthered the Prophets, as the Iewes were the sons of Cain, in slaying the righteous Abels. If Cain and all the bloudy Iewes a… well after as vnderunder the Law, make the same generation, vnited in fact and faction, it is in God very good iustice that all the righteous bloud shed from the xLuk. 11.50.foundation of the world should be required of this generation. yEuthym. in loc.For he who readeth often, and seeth almost daily the seuere iudgments of God vponupon sinners, and yet himselfe continueth in the same sinne, deserues worthily to be punished with as many stripes as he neglected examples. He that knowes how Cain was a runagate on earth, and how the clamour of his brother Abels bloud entred into the eares of God in heauen, and how this cry was a voice; vox sanguinum, a voice of bloods in the plurall, namely, the voice of the bloud shed, and of all the bloud which might hauehave come of that bloud, if it had not been shed. Againe, hee that hea…e of the lamentable destruction of Ierusalem, how her magnificent Temple was made d…selate, and the glorious Towers of her Citie were laid Luk. 19.44.euen with the ground; and all this for that shee killed the Prophets, and stoned such as were sent vntounto her. Hee that reads and beleeues the…e things, and yet is an obstinate despiser of prophecie, killing, crucifying, secur…, persecuting the m…ssengers of the Lord from City to City: shall receiue greater damnation then either Cain or Ierusalem, as hauing negle…ed greater m…nes of saluation. For Rom. 15.4all things are written for our learning, but these things (I meane Gods extraordinarie iudgments vponupon notorious sinners) are written more principally b1 C…r. 10.11.for our examples vponupon whom the ends of the world are come. See Epist 9 Sund. after Trinitie.
How often would I hauehave gathered thy children] How often by the mouth of my cOrigin. B…llinger. P…scat…r.Prophets, how often by mine Apostles, how often by mine owne selfe: dC…nsule Aug. quaest. euangel. lib. 1. cap. 36. & Marlorat. in loc.as the louing Hen is alway caring for her chickins, alway clucking and calling them if they wander out of her …ight neuer so little, that she may gather them vnderunder her wings, and so guarde them from the mischiefe of the Kite: euen so Ierusalem, I would hauehave gathered thy Children vnderunder the wings of my protection, I would hauehave kept thee and thine from the iawes of thy rauenous enemie Sathan, and from the hands of all such as hate you, but yee would not. eHos. 13.9.O Israel, thou hast destroyed thy selfe, but in me is thine helpe: now this ought to be construed either of Christs humane will as he was man, or else of his conditionall and reuealed will as he was God; otherwise Gods absolute will is effected alway, fPsal. 135.6both in heauen, and earth and hell: it was the conditionall will of God the Iewes resisted, according to that of Saint Steuen in the second Lesson allotted for euensong this day. gAct. 7.51.Yee stiffenecked and of vncircumcised hearts and eares, ye hauehave alw…y resisted the holy Ghost, a… your Fathers did so doe you: this (I would) of Christ is voluntae signi, not voluntas beneplaciti. See Melanct. C…ietan, P…scator, Marlorat, in loc. Ians…n, Concord. cap 41. & 90. didac, Aluarez de anxilys diuinae gratiae lib. 5. d…putat. 33.34.
O Father of mercies, increase our faith, and graunt vntounto vsus in this thy day of our visitation, vnfained repentance▪ that howsoeuer England hath equalled Ierusalem in being dissolute, yet shee may not parallell Ierusalem in being desolate.