Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels, Explication of epistles and gospels 1 · Part 3
The Epistle
EPHES. 2.19.
Now are ye not strangers, nor forreiners, but citizens with the Saints, and of the houshold of God, &c.
THis Epistle sets down the most happy condition of all such as truly beleeue:
1. Priuatiuely, shewing what they are not in the 19. verse. Now are yee not strangers, nor forreiners.
2. Positiuely, describing in the rest of the text, what they are, namely, Gods
Citie.
House.
Temple.
Of which heauenly building the
Materials, are t1. Pet. 2.5.liuely stones, all Gods elect, built together to be an habitation of God.
Foundation, is Iesus Christ himselfe.
Builders, Apostles and Prophets.
Properties, are to be built together, &c. answering ye three properties of the Church in the Creed.
Holy, a temple of the Lord, an habitation of God.
Catholique, all the building, &c. knit in a communion, coupled together and built together.
Now ye are not strangers] As uIn Psalm. 1.Augustine said, it is one thing to walke in the law, another thing to liue vnderunder the law: so likewise there is difference between being in grace, and vnderunder grace. Many men in our time who receiue the Gospell of God in x2. C…t. 6.1.vaine, liue vnderunder grace but not in grace: many Prophets and holy Fathers in old time liued in grace but not vnderunder grace. For (properly) to liue vnderunder gr…ce is opposed vntounto the state of the law, to liue in grace is opposed vntounto the state of sinne. The men of Ephesus and other Gentiles in time past vnbeleeuing, were neither in grace, nor vnderunder grace: not in grace, for in walking according to the course of this world, and in fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, and will of the minde, they became dead in sinnes: not vnderunder grace, for they were without Christ, aliens from the common wealth of Israel, and strangers from the couenants of promise, hauing no hope, and without God in the world, as our Apostle disputes in the former part of this Chapter. But non (saith he) God which is rich in merciemercy, through his great louelove, wherewith he loued vsus euen when we were dead in trespasses, hath so quickned vsus in Christ Iesus, that we be both vnderunder grace, released from the yRom. 8.8.condemnation of the law; and in grace, deliuered from the zRom. 6.14.dominion of sinne. We which once were farre off, are made neere to God and his people; not any longer strangers or forrainers, but fellow citizens with the Saints, of Gods houshold, yea Gods house. aZanchius.Wherein our Apostle doth allude to the goodly buildings of the terrestriall Hierusalem, in which all the whole Citie was faire, the Kings house fairer, the Temple fairest of all. And so by these three, wherof one doth excell another, he describes the blessed estate of Hierusalem which is bGalat. 4.26.aboue.
The materials of this high and holy building are Gods cAretius.elect, dZanchius.as well his seruants on earth, as Saints in heauen. His elect in the militant Church are called by S. Peter, liuely stones, or (as eCom. in cap. 28. Izechiel.Hierom reades liuing stones. A materiall house consists of blockes, and stockes, and other senselesse stuffe: but all the parts of the mysticall house, built vponupon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, are moouing and free stones, in that they be fEphes. 2.5.quickned by God, and gGalat. 2 20.liue by saith in his sonne. And this their faith is not dead, but liuely, working by louelove, Galat. 5.6. hVide Lorin. in 1. Pet. 2.5.For as in other buildings one stone lieth vponupon another, and all vponupon the foundation: euen so in the spirituall house, Christians iGalat. 6.2.beare one anothers burthen, and Christ as the chiefe stone beares all. Vnusquisque & portat alterum, & portatur ab altero, quoth kH…m. 1 3. in Ez…hiel.Gregory. The whole building is so compact, as that eueryevery one beares another, and is borne of another. As for example, the rich and the poore man are thrust and piled together in Gods house, the poores butthen i… his begge…ie, he bur…hen of the rich is his ouergrowen estate. Wherefore the poore lieth on the rich, and …he rich is content to sustaine the poore; the rich h…th hi… bur…n le…ened by giuing, and the poore his butthen le…ened by taking, and so saith l… 22. … …Augustine they beare one …nother▪ bur…he. A Christian must hauehave mL…s er.… G… 6 1.strong shoulders, and mightie bones, that he may heare flesh, that is, the weaknesse of his brethren. It was excellently said of nLi… de … pa…tum.one, when it was told him how his brother had committed a foule fault: He fell … sterda… (quoth he) and I may fall to day. The peble may not enuie the marble, nor the marble despise the peble: the pinne in the Temple s…rues for vse so well as the pinn…cle: o1 Cor. 12.21The cie cann…t s…y to the band, I hauehave no need of thee: no the head to the feet, I hauehave no need of you. So that eueryevery liuing stone must pC…l ss. 3.12.put on tender merciemercy, kinda…e, hum…tie, me… …, long suffering for bearing one another, and for giuing one another, of one qActs 4.31.heart▪ and …f one seule, of one r… 1.2.accord, and of one iudgement. Thus all such as a…e truly faithfull, … sAns…m.tempore s…les, from the beginning of their faith, and first embracing of the Gospell, are translated out of tL…nbar….Babylon, and made citizens of I …er…salem, euen walking and working stones in the building of God house.
The next point to bee discussed is the foundation of the Church, and that i… not Peter alone, nor yet all the Prophets and Apostl…s iointly: b…t Christ I…sus him…f. u….Not the Christ of …, or the Christ of … or the Christ of L…gat, or any false Christ, a…beit there be v… 14.5many such in the world: but onelyonly the true Christ of the Prophets and Apostle, I say that Christ only which is y…v…l…m in … stamento, re…latus …, promised by the mouth of all the z… 3.18.Prophets in the old Testament, and preached of all the blessed Apostles in the new. So the Doctors expound my text, built vponupon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, aL…mbard. Ans…lm. Cai…ana…e.that is, vponupon Christ, a… being the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, vponupon the foundation which is laid by their bCa… in. … T…s…rt r.doctrine, as clalo…. F…em Aqui. & … s…l. m…i ri…e.S. Ambr…e plainly, jsper …o…um & ve… testamentum, vponupon the co…ents of the two Testaments, the summe whereofi nothing else but Christ crucified, as be…ng the head corner stone, dAus…m. …r…ius.lapis summus & imus, euen the first and the last stone, the beginning and ending, Apocal. 1.8. eHierom exp…s…. 2 in….by whom the Church is founded and finished. In fAq…ia.other buildings the foundation i… lowest in the ground: but the foundation of Hierusalem aboue, Galat. 4.26. descending downe from God out of heauen, Apocal 21.2. is higher then the highest, Ecclesiast. 5.7. As A…stotle said, a man is arbertransuersa: so we, that the Church is domus transuersa, an house turned vp…ide do vne; for that Christ is both a rocke on which his Church is founded, and a chief or head corner stone, in whom all the whole building is coupled together and gro…th, &c. g1. Cor. 2.11.other foundation can no man lay, then that which is laid, which is Iesus Christ, a hEsay 28.16.tried stone, a precious stone, a sure stone.
This doctrine confuces the Papist, holding that Peter is the rocke on which the Church is built, for that vponupon the confession of jMat. 16.16.P…ter (thou art Christ the sonne of the …a… God) our blessed Sauiour said, thou art Peter, and vpeni…i… rocke will I build my Church. Answer is made, that Peter in making this confession, thou art Christ, either spake kAmbros. li …. in L…. cap…de … …e…r ga…i…ne … su.…raca…cris, or lAu…us…i ser. …3. …er…. a …s…eu…d m Ma…. I…m … …ram Mat. 16.procateris, as prolocutor o… Chryst …. ….mo…h of the rest. And therefore whatsoeuer in that place… as promised vntounto Peter, appertained to the whole Colledge of Apostles, a, O…g…n…m. 1.… Mat. the words spoken …o Peter are common to all. If wee confesse with Peter, & nobis d…tur tu es P…rus, p…ra cnim quique Christ… cip…lus est. And nCom … Am. s. o.S. Hi…ren…: Pe…ra Christu st, qui …n …t em…us Apost l… vt … quique patr… vo…ar, …nu…re…rgous (faith o… s…pra.Ambro…e… … sis petra: so eueryevery confessor is a Peter, and eueryevery Peter a liuing stone in the building of God, house. Touching the words, (vponupon this rocke will I build my Church) pVbi supra.A …gustine the most accurate Doctor expound, them thus: Super bane Petram quam c…nfesse… es, super hano Petram q…im cognonisti, discus, tues Christus fil…s Deiviui, …d…f…cabo ecclesiam mean, id est, super m…ipsum ad…sieabo ecclesim meam: super me edisicabote, non me superte. So the Papists qAnselm. Hugo. D…. Carth…. F…rus Suarez in Matth 16.owne Writers, vponupon this rocke, that is, I will build my Church vponupon my selfe the Sonne of the liuing God. See Gospell on S. Peters day.
Againe, this sentence (Christ is the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles) ouerthroweth (as rHier. &. Ca…uin Ar…t…us.Interpreters obserue) Marcion and other heretickes, affirming that two sundrie disagreeing Gods are Authors of the two Testaments. As if one God were preached in the Gospell, and another in the Law: whereas one and the same Christ is the very center of both, at which all the Prophets and Apostles aime principally.
The builders of Gods house, are the Prophets and Apostles, and all their lawfull successours the Ministers and Preachers of the word. Behold, saith the Lord to Ieremie the Prophet, sIerem. 1.9.I hauehave put my woreis in thy mouth, I hauehave set thee euer the nations, and ouer the kingdomes, to plucke vp. and to roote out, and to destroy, and throw downe, to build, and to plant. tLy…ain 1. le… m.That is, to roote out vice, to plant vertue, to uZanc…iruin l ….destroy the dens of S…tan, and build vp Gods remple, to throw downe the kingdome of Antichrist, and to set vp the kingdome of Christ. And so x1. C…r. 3.Paul cals himselfe a skilfull Architect, or a cunning master builder laiing the foundation, and hee faith of other Preachers of the word, that they build vponupon his foundation gold, siluer, precious stones, &c. yMat…ratin 1 Cor. 3.12.that is, doctrines and exhortations answerable to the foundation, and worthie of Christ. In a word, that the Pastors are Gods labourers, and the people God building, 1. Cor. 3 9. it is true that Christ himselfe is the chiefe builder, as hee saith in the zMatt. 16.18Gospel (vponupon this rocke will I build my Church) he builds (as it is in our text) through his holy spirit, vers. 22. yet hee doth vse Prophets, and Apostles, and Euangelists, and Pastors, and Teachers, as vnderunder-workmen for the gathering together of his saints, and edification of his Church, Ephes. 4. 11.12.
The tooles or instruments which Apostles and Preachers vse toward this worke, are the Word and the Sacraments especially. For so the Lord of these labourers hath appointed, aMatt. 28.19Goe teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Sonne, and the holy Ghost. His word i… his power to bring his elect to the foundation, and to build them vponupon the foundation. His Sacraments are (fastnings as it were) to strengthen and confirme them after they be laid in the building, that they fall not away, but grow to an holy temple of the Lord. Our doctrine must be according to the bRom. 12.6.analogie of faith, our exhortation according to the rules of good life: the Bible (which is our lanterne and our guide) furnisheth vsus with both, and therefore wee must euer build vponupon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles.
Beside these tooles, a Minister ought to further Gods building with heartie cZanchius.praiers and good example. dDe verb. Dei, lib. 1. cap. 9.Bellarmine said of Erasmus falsely, that he was but halfe a Christian: but it may be said of a lewd Pastour truly, that he is but halfe a Preacher: he may peraduenture pull downe more building in one weeke with his bad life, then he can set vp againe in a whole yeere with his great learning. eDe benefic. lib 4. cap. 37 ex sententia Philip Macedon.Seneca thought it impossible that any body should at onetime be both a good man and a good captaine: but a Clergie man is not a good Pastor, vnlesse he be a good paterne. God defend me and mine from a mangie Physitian, a ragged Alchimist, and a dissolute Diuine. If thou be a president of godlinesse to thy people, pray to the God of all grace that you may so remaine: if you sometime were, and are now fallen, returne: if you neuer were, repent: if you neuer will be, perish. Nam à Deo separabitur, qui à diabolo superabitur. Concerning the properties of the Church; it is built together in such a fA…tius.due proportion and concinne gCalain.symmetrie, that eueryevery part is content to keepe his ranke, and performe his function without any faction. It is a body fitly ioined together, and compacted by that which eueryevery ioint supplieth, &c. Ephes. 4.16. See Epistle 2. Sund. after Epiphanie. It is built together, in respect of her hZanc…ius.vnion with Christ the head corner stone: and coupled together, in respect of her communion with the members. See Communion of Saints in the Creed. And being thus inserted and built on Christ, it liueth and groweth from grace to grace, iD…m … …eseit templu… D…, f…t; Occ…en in l…c.till it become an holy Temple to the Lord. The which kCalui…. Marl…a….Interpreters vnderstand of eueryevery singular part, so well as of the whole body: for eueryevery Christian is an habitation of God. If thou be then a consecrated Chappell vntounto the Lord, how darest thou commit Idolatrie which is against the first table? l2. Cor. 6.16.What agreement hath the temple of God with Idols? Or how dinest thou commit adulterie, which is against the second table, m1. Cor. 6.19.Know yee not that your body is the temple of the holy Ghost, and that God is to bee glorified in your spirit and in your body? will you then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. EueryEvery liuing stone that is built vponupon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles is holy. nPrimasius in l…e.Lapides in templo sancto non possunt esse non sanctificati. The temples of God are holy, both in regard of their righteousnesse imputed, in that their vnrighteousnesse is oPsal. 32.1.forgiuen, and p1. Cor. 3.30Christ himselfe made their holinesse: and in regard of sanctification and righteousnesse in herent, for that being deliuered out of the hands of all their enemies, they serue God in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of their life.