Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels, Explication of epistles and gospels 2 · Part 10
The Gospell
IOHN 15.1.
I am the true vine, and my Father is an Husbandman, &c.
AS a kind friend loth to depart with his familiars, in giuing a farwel often breakes off his speech and begins a new discourse: iIansen. concord. cap. 135.so Christ heere being now to leaue the world, after hee had ended one sermon vntounto his Disciples in the chapter going before, falleth into another of the like argument in this present, wherein hee doth especially two things, exhort and comfort.
He doth exhort all his followers,
1. To continue stedfast in the faith, and that vnderunder the parable of the vine, intimating that as the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe except it abide in the Vine: so they can doe nothing vnlesse they abide in him. Vrging this one point by diuers reasons; all which may be reduced vntounto the
punishment of such as abide not
Poena damni, they beare no fruite, vers. 4.
Poenasensus, they be taken away, verse 2. withered, gathered, cast into the fire, burnt, v. 6.
blessednesse of such as abide, being
Purged by God the father, v. 2.
Cleansed by God the sonne, v. 3.
Cōforted by God the holy Ghost, abide in mee, and I will abide in you by my kCaluin.spirit, vers. 4.
Relieued in whatsoeuer they shal aske, vers. 7.
2. To make demonstration hereof in workes of piety, glorifying God, and louing one another.
Hee comforts them against the worlds hatred:
1. From his owne example, vers. 18.20.
2. From the cause of this hatred, ver. 19.
3. From the cause of the cause, vers. 21.22.24.
4. For that God and Christ suffer with them, vers. 23.
5. From the prediction of holy Scripture, vers. 25.
6. By promising to send the comforter, vers. 26.
I am the true Vine] Christ is called heere a Vine, as else where a lApoc. 5.5.Lion, a mAct. 8.32.Sheepe, a nIch. 1.29.Lambe, a oEphes. 2.20.corner Stone, a pIoh. 10.9.Doore. A true Vine by qCaietan. Aretius.way of difference from the wilde vine; or (as Rupertus vponupon the place) to distinguish it from the Vines of Sodome and Gomorrah, Whose grapes (as rDeut. 32.32.Moses speaketh in his song) are grapes of gall, and their clusters are bitter, their wine is the poyson of Dragons, and the cruell gall of Aspes. A true Vine, not simply, but in a simile: not truly a Vine, but like a true Vine. Vera (faith sTract. 80. in Ioan.Augustine) per similitudinem, non per proprietatem: a true Vine, tMaldonat. in loc.as in the first chapter of this Gospell, at the ninth verse, the true light. Now the resemblances betweene Christ and a true Vine are uSee Bernard. tract. de passion. dom. cap. 1.2.3.4. & Paratus ser. de 5. Marco.manifold.
1. A Vine is not sowne in the ground, but planted a young slip of an old tree: so Christ is a naturall branch of God the Father, euen very God of very God; but for vsus men and our saluation hee was translated from heauen, and planted on earth, that is, borne of the Virgin Mary; of whom it is said, Esay 45.8. Let the earth open, and let saluation and iustice grow forth, let it bring them forth together, I the Lord hauehave created him. A blessed earth, in whole xLuk. 1.42.blessed fruit yGen. 12.18.all the nations of the world are blessed.
2. The Vine that it may beare the more fruit, is cut and pruned: and so Christ, although he were conceiued of the holy Ghost, and borne without all sinne; yet for our sakes he was circumcised on the eight day, zEsay 53.4.wounded for our transgressions, and broken for our iniquities. Againe, Christ albeit hee were aAct. 10.36.Lord ouer all things, and bHeb. 1.2.heire of the whole world: yet for our saluation he suffered his glory to be pruned by the knife of ignominie; for whereas hee was the cPsal. 24.7.King of glory, hee made himselfe of no reputation, Philip. 2.7. Hee tooke on him the forme of a seruant, and was made man, (as Dauid speakes of him) a worme and no man, a very scorne of men, and outcast of the people, Psalm. 22.6. His wealth was pruned by the knife of pouerty, dBernard. tract. de … dom. cap. 2.Pauper in natiuitate, pauperior in vita, pauperimus in cruce: So poore in his birth, that hee was borne in another mans stable; so poore in his life, that he said of himselfe, eMat. 8.20.the Foxes hauehave holes, and the birds of the heauen hauehave nests: but the sonne of man hath not whereon to rest his head. So poore when he was dead, that he was buried in another mans tombe, Matth. 27 60. His pleasure was pruned by the knife of sorrow, Lament. 1.12. Behold, and see, if there be any sorrow like vntounto my sorrow. His familiar acquaintance was also cut away from him, by the knife of feare; Iuda… betrayed him, Peter denied him, other forsooke him, all were dispersed. He did tread the wine presse alone, and of all people there was none to helpe him, as fIn loc. Es…ae.Hierome and gVeisapra.Bernard apply that of the Prophet Esay, chap. 63.3.
3. The Vine is dugged, and digged, as wee reade in the fifth chapter of Esay. So Christ was hParatus.dugged when the soule-mouthed iMat. 27.30.Iewes spit vponupon him; and he was digged on eueryevery side, when as his aduersaries by propounding captious questions had cast a trench round about him; as in asking, kMat. ….17.Is it lawfull that tribute be giuen to Caesar or no? If hee should hauehave disputed against the tribute, he had offended the Prince: if for the tribute, displeased the people who did beare this heauie burthen against their wils. See Gospell, Sund. 2…. after Trinity. Againe, they digged a pit round about him in bringing the lIoh. 8.3.woman taken in adultery before him, and demanding what sayest thou? for if he should hauehave condemned her hee might seeme to contradict his owne sayings, mMat. 9.13.I will hauehave mercy not sacrifice, nMat. 11.29.learne of me for I am humble and meeke. If acquit her, he should contrary Moses law, Leuiticus 20.10. The adulterer and adulteresse shall die the death. See Bernard, de passione domin. cap. 3. Moreouer Christ on the crosse was digged, his side with a oIohn. 19.34.speare, his pFoderunt manus Psal. 22.17.hands and feet with nailes, and those so bigge that (as qLib. 1. cap. 13. see S. Ambros. orat. de mort. Theodo. in sine. & Baron. Rom. 1. …ol. 307.Socrates reporteth in his ecclesiasticall history) Constantine made thereof an helmet and a bridle for his owne vse in warre.
4. The Vine is bound vntounto the wood, and fastened vntounto the wall on which it groweth: euen so Christ was led away rMat. 27.2.bound vntounto Pontius Pilate, and nailed vntounto the wood of the crosse, so fettered and fastened with bonds (as that the Church saith of him in the sCap. 1.12.Canticles) my well beloued is as a bundle of myrrhe vntounto mee. Myrrhe being bitter and sharpe, doth insinuate the grieuousnes of his passion, and a bundle the multitude of his sorrowes. And tBernard. de passione dom. cap. 4.so Christ is vntounto the Church a bundle of myrrhe, when as shee meditateth on his death and passion; how he was bound, that shee might be made free: how he was beaten, that she might escape punishment: how hee was broken, that she might be healed with his stripes, Esay 53.5.
5. The Vine being thus planted, pruned, cut, bound, digged, dunged, spreades her branches farre and wide. So Christ (as calling his followers from uMat. 8.11.East and West, hauing the xPsalm. 2.8.heathen for his inheritance, and the vttermost parts of the earth for his possession) extends and yPsalm. 80.11.stretcheth out his branches vntounto the sea, and this boughes vntounto the riuer: Christ is the Vine, and all Christians are his branches. zCaluin. beza.All of vsus are by nature drie, and fit for nothing but the fire: therefore that wee may be fruitfull and liue, we must first be grafted into Christ as into a Vine by the fathers hand: without his grace we can do nothing, and thorough his helpe able to doe all things, Philip 4.13. now the diuine vnion is a… i… se…i. B. Marci.threefold. Essential and so God the father is all one with God the sonne, and God the holy Ghost: personal, and so God the sonne being made flesh is vnited to the humaine nature: spiritual, and so such as abide in Christ and are ioyned in spirit to the Lord are one with Christ the Lord, 1. Cor. 6.17.
My father is an husbandman] The blasphemous bApud Ambros. de … lib. 4. cap. 7.Arians obiect here that Christ and God as the vine and husbandman are of diuers natures, and that Christ as the vine must of necessity be subiect and inferiour to God which is an hunsbandman. Answere is made that a similitude runs not on foure feet, but that it standeth vponupon one legge principally: now the maine drift of this comparison is not to shew what care this husbandman hath ouer the root of the vine, cTheophylact. Euthyin.but what he doth vntounto the branches. EueryEvery branch that beareth not fruit he will take away, and eueryevery branch that beareth fruit will he purge, &c. Christ vttered this parable dAugust. tract. 80. in soa….as our mediatour and head of the Church, and hee could not hauehave bin the Churches head, eMaldonat. in loc.except he had bin God and man. Christ then fAthenasius. insy…bol.as touching his manhood was inferiour to the father, Iohn. 14.28. My father is greater then I: yet equal as touching his Godhead. Ioh. 10.13. I and my father are one, coequal in might and merciemercy. So the text here, God the father as an husbandman purgeth eueryevery branch that beareth fruit, vers. 2. and God the sonne likewise doth the same, vers. 3. now are yee cleane thorough the words which I hauehave spoken vntounto you. gAmbros & Augustin. vbi supra.So that Christ as God, is an husbandman so well as his father, he purgeth and pruneth the boughes of the vine so well as he, hChrysostom. Theophylact. Euthym.vna enim operatio patris & filij, Ioh. 5.19. Whatsoeuer the father doth, the same things doth the sonne also.
EueryEvery branch that beareth not fruit in me he taketh away] Christ exhorting his followers to continue stedfast in the faith, argueth a paena & praemio, from the punishment of such as abide not in him, and from the reward of such as abide, the punishments of hypocrites and false Christians which abide not in him are Seuen
Seuen
1. They beare no fruit.
2. Bearing no fruit they bee cut away from the Vine.
3. Being cut away from the Vine, they bee cast out of the Vineyard.
4. Being cast out of the Vineyard they wither.
5. Being withered men gather and fagot them.
6. Being made fagots they bee cast into the sire.
7. Being cast into the fire they burne in that vnquencheable flame, iMarke 9.48.where the worme dyeth not, and the fire neuer goeth out.
First, they beare no fruit, for saith our Sauiour, as the branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe, except it abide in the vine: no more can yee except yee abide in mee, for without me can you do nothing. The Pelaegian hereticks affirmed kAugust. tract. 81. in loan.à Deo habemus quod homines sumus, à nobis ipsis autem quod iusti sumus, that we are men, we receiue from God: that we are good men, commeth from our selues, but truth it selfe here contradicit & dicit, a branch cannot beare fruit of it selfe, &c. This one clause lVbi supra.(saith Augustine) corda instruit humilium, ora obstruit superborum, it comforts a poore publicane, but it confounds a proud Pelagian. And that other sentence, (without me can ye do nothing,) confuteth also the Semipelagian, I meane the Papist, auowing that a man hath a power of free will in his owne nature which once being stirred and helped can and doth of it owne selfe cooperate with grace. The word nothing makes very much against this opinion, as Augustine noteth vponupon the place. For Christ said not sine me parum potestus facere, sed sine menihil: now that wee may the better vnderstand this controuersie, man is to be considered in a foure-fold estate, to wit Instatu
In statu Confectionis, as hee was created.
In statu Infectionis, as he was corrupted.
In statu Refectionis, as he was renewed.
In statu Perfectionis, as he shall be glorified.
In the first estate we giuegive to the will of man a liberty of nature, Adamus enim mAugust. de correp. & grat. cap. …1.acceperat posse si veller, sed non habuit velle quod posset. In the third we grant a libertie of grace, for if the sonne make you free, ye shall be free indeed, Iohn 8.36. The spirit of Christ which is free, Psalm. 51.12. giueth liberty to the captiues, and openeth the prison to them that are bound, Esay 61.1. and deliuereth vsus from the power of darknes, Coloss. 1.13. In the fourth estate we confesse a liberty of glory. Al the doubt betweene vsus and the Papists, is of the second estate, how man corrupted as renewed, how he commeth vntounto regeneration after degeneration. And yet herein we consent that the will of man in turning vntounto God and in doeing good is not a nMelanct. in loc.stocke or a stone, in oPerkies resumed Cat. Tit. freewill, & Dr. Abbot. ibidem.all and eueryevery respect passiue, for eueryevery man is willingly conuerted, and by Gods grace at the very time of his conuersion he willeth his owne conuersion, and so the will of man is in some sort a coworker with grace. For this end p2. Cor. 6.1.Paul exhorteth vsus not to receiue the grace of God in vaine, but to worke out our saluation in feare and trembling, Philip. 2.12. To this purpose the saying of Augustine is very remarkeable, qSer. 15. de verbis Apostoli.qui fecit te sine te, non iustificabit te sine te. Fecit nescientem, iustificat volentem. He who made thee without thee, will not iustifie thee without thee. What thē is the maine difference between the Papists and vsus in this question? it is in one word this, they write that our will is a coworker with grace by the … of nature: we say that it workes with grace by grace. Th…y teach that grace doth enable the will of it selfe to doe good workes if it please: but wee further adde that grace worketh in the will of man to please, to do such offices as God requireth at our hands. He doth not hang his worke vponupon the suspended if, of our will, but he worketh in vsus to will, and rEzechiel. 36.27.causeth vsus to do the things that he commandeth vsus to doe. We will in deed (saith sLib. de bano perseuerant. cap. 13.Augustine) but God worketh in vsus to will: we worke, but God worketh in vsus to worke: tAugust. cont. deas epist. Pelagian. l.b. 4. cap 6.we walke, but he causeth vsus to walke: we keepe his commandements, but he worketh in vsus to keepe his commandements. In the words of Paul, it is God that worketh in you both the will, and the worke, euen of his good pleasure, Philip. 2.13.
If God only made thee a man, and thou thy selfe hast made thy selfe a good man, thy worke of necessity must be greater then Gods worke. uAugust. de verbis Apostoli ser. 15.Melius est enim iustum esse, quam te hominem esse, our bare being is not so good as our better being: wherefore to stop thy presumptuous mouth, and to beate the lie downe thy throate, Christ here saith expresly, ye can beare no fruite except ye abide in me, without me can ye do nothing. In naturall and humane actions it is true that your will is free, yet see that your will is alway subordinate to my will: xActs 17.28.in whom ye liue, and moue, and haxe your being; but in spirituall things appertaining to the kingdome of heauen: your selues are not sufficient as of your selues to y2. Cor. 3.5.thinke, much lesse to speake, least of all to doe that which is good.
Qui vires in folijs venit a raditibus humor.
The iuyce which is in the branch commeth originally from the root, and so qui viret in folijs, &c. The graces eminent in the sonnes of God are from aboue, proceeding from the father of mercies and fountaine of all grace; qui a seipso se fructum existimat ferre, in vite non est: quiin vite non est, in Christo non est: qui in Christo non est, Christianus non est. August. tract. 81. in Euang. Iohan. Ser epist. Sun. 11. & 12. after Trinity.
The rest of the punishments here mentioned are very grieuous, as to be cut away from the Vi…e, to be cast out of the vineyard, to wither, &c. but the last of all is the greatest of all, I meane the burning of fruitlesse branches in hell fire which is vnquencheable. This of all terribles in the Scriptures is most terrible, whether we consider in it the paine of the losse, or the paine of sense; the reprobate which abide not in Christ hauehave paine of losse, for the Vine saith vntounto such branches at the last day, zMat. 25.40.depart from mee, from me that am your first beginning and last end, from me that am your redeemer, from me that made my selfe man for your sakes, and receiued these wounds for your remedy, from me that inuited you with pardon, and ye would not accept it. Wherefore depart for euer from my friendship, from any protection, from my kingdome, from my paradice, from my sight. And because whatsoeuer is separated from Christ, is also separated from those who goe with Christ; in saying, depart from me, he saith likewise depart from mine, from the quiers of my glorious Angels, from the sweet company of my blessed mother, and from all my most happy Martyrs, Apostles, Prophets, Confessors, in a word from all the holy Saints and host of heauen, into euerlasting fire prepared for the diuest and his Angels. For as in aDion. Carthos. de 4. …word.… 3. pa…t. … …art. 11.sinne there is an auersion from the creator, and a conuersion vntounto the creatures, according to that of the bIeremy 2.11.Prophet, they hauehave forsaken me the fountaine of liuing waters, and hauehave diggedpits, euen broken pits that hold no water, so i… the punishment of sinners (as cThom 114. ….diuines obserue) there is not onelyonly paena damiti, which is answerable to their auersion from the creator, but also paena sensiu, which is answerable to their conuersion vntounto the creatures, and therefore such branches as beare no fruite are not only cast out of the sight of the Vine, and the whole vineyard: but also gathered together, and made the fagots and fewell of hell fire: the which in many respects is exceeding dreadfull, especially because the torments of this Aetna neuer dying euer frying, are both vniuersall and eternall. Hell paine is vniuersall, afflicting eueryevery power of the soule, eueryevery part of the body. Concerning the soule, the imaginatiue faculty shall be tortured with horrid imaginations, more terrible then those which a deepe melancholie man suffers in his dreames, or then those the cruell Egyptians saw, which (as the dWisa 17.4.Wiseman speakes) were fearefull visions, and sorrowfull sights, affrighting visages of wild beasts, and hissing of Serpents, &c. Thy will, as hauing in nothing it owne will, is an hell of it selfe to it selfe. The memory shall be continually troubled with a fixed recordation of things passed, that it once possessed, and of the present which it now suffereth, and of those which are to come in eternity. So that it cannot thinke vponupon any thing, which in any sort should administer comfort; for if it calles to mind the pleasures it had in the world, it is for its greater torment; eIn add…t. ad. 3. part. sam. q…kest. 98 art. 7.Materia tristitiae non delectationis causa, saith Aquine. The vnderstanding shall bee so darkened, as that it shall bee full of errours and illusions, euen as a tumultuous sea, with innumerable waues of imaginations, more bitter then gall, some going, other comming, all restlesse.
As for the body, the damned are to bee fMat. 22.13.bound hand and foot, crouded together in the prison of vtter darkenesse, like brickes in a fiery furnace, that they shall not bee able to wrinch, hauing not so much as a chinke where any winde may enter to refresh them in this gApoc. 19.20.lake of fire burning with brimstone. Their sight is affrighted with vgly diuels and darkenesse, their hearing with odious and hideous outcries, their smelling with noysome stinkes, and insupportable sweat reaking from the filthie bodies vnderunder torture; their cast with a raging hLuk. 16.24.thirst, and a rauening hunger, tasting such things as are more bitter then iIer. 23.15.gall or wormewood; the feeling afflicted in eueryevery part with intollerable flames, in comparison whereof our earthly fire is no more then as if it were but painted. The least of these torments named, and infinite moe not named, is more grieuous then the greatest, either sicknesse or sorrow they suffered on earth; and yet all these shall eternally continue, without either ease or end. See Gospell 1. Sund. after Trinity. Lombard, sent. lib. 4. distalt. & sententiarios ibidem. A quin in additionibus adtertiam suae summae partem quaest. 97.98.99. Io. de combis compend. Theolog. lib. 7. cap. 21.22. Dion. carthusian de quatuor nouissimis part. 3. The meditations of Luys de la puente Iesuite, translated out of Spanish into English, by Ric. Gibbons, of the same society, meditat. 15.16.
EueryEvery branch that beareth fruit will he purge] Wee collect here, first that our Purgatorie is in this life, while we goe from strength to strength, and grow from fruit to fruit in the vineyard, that is, in the Church planted in this world. 2. That the k10. Frith preface before his answere to Rastals dialogue.word and affliction are this our Purgatorie. The word, vers. 3. Ye are cleane through the word which I hauehave spoken vntounto you. Cleane, not by the water in Baptisme, but by the word. For saith lTract. 80. in dom.Augustine, Detrahe verbū & quid est aquae nisi aqua, sed ascedit verbum adelementum & fit sacramentum. Cleare by the word, non quia dicitur, sed quia creditur. The Pharifies and other hypocrites heard the word of Christ, but they were not hereby purged, because they did not beleeue the word of Christ. Our fruit then ariseth from faith; it is faith (as S. mAct. 15.9.Peter telleth vsus expresly) that purifieth our hearts. And so nIn loc.Rupertus expounds the words of Christ here, you are cleane, because you beleeue that which I hauehave said vntounto you concerning my death and resurrection, how I must die for your sinnes, and rise againe for your iustification, and goe away to prouide a place for you. But because the flesh is so fraile that we cannot doe that oRom. 7.19.good we would, but the euill we would not; Almighty God hath appointed for vsus another pTyndal. prolog. vponupon Gen.Purgatorie; to wit, affliction, and the Crosse, the which is Gods rod where with he qHeb. 12.6.scourgeth eueryevery sonne he receiueth, and purgeth eueryevery branch that beareth fruite, that it may bring forth more fruit. rAretius in loc.The branch of the Vine that is cut vntill it bleed and weepe, beares the greater grapes, and so the good man is best vnderunder the crosse; sRom. 5.3.tribulation bringeth forth patience, and patience experience, & experience hope, &c. tPaulin. epist. lib. 2. epist. 2.tanta summi patris est pietas, vt etiam ira eius ex misericordiasit: Our heauenly father is so good to vsus his children, that euen his anger is out of mercy, destroying the flesh to saue the spirit, 1. Cor. 5.5.
3. We note from hence, that no man in this world is throughly perfect, euen the best of the Saints hauehave need to bee purged, that they may bring forth more fruit. They be saith uTract. 80. in loan.Augustine, Mundi & mundandi, not so pure, but that they must x1. Thess. 4.1.encrease more and more: Mundat it aque mundos, hoc est fructuosos vt tanto sint fructuosiores quant to fuerint mundiores. See Epist. 2. Sund. in Lent.