Exposition of the Festival Epistles and Gospels, Explication of epistles and gospels 2 · Part 13
The Epistle
Acts. 1.1.
In the former treatise (O Theophilus) wee hauehave spoken of all that Iesus began to …ive and teach.
IN this History of S. Lu…e, two points are more principally remarkeable, namely, pArdens. Cal…m. Iustus, Fo…as in loc.the
Context, or connexion of this treatise with his Gospell, vers. 1.2.
Text, or narration it selfe throughout the rest of the whole booke, diuided into two qAretius.portions,
1. Generall, as setting downe the acts of all the blessed Apostles, in the twelue former chapters.
2. Particular, as containing more specially the acts of S. Paul in the sixteene latter chapters.
In the former treatise] Saint Luke hauing alreadie penned a tract of all that Iesus did and taught: He commeth in this present history to shew what his Apostles did and taught, rDr. Fulke. argument, in act.declaring at large that their doings and doctrine were conformable to the workes and words of their master. These two treatises howsoeuer dedicated vntounto one man, are notwithstanding parted into two volumes, Vt sChrysest apud Lorin. r…fat. in act.distinctio perspicuitatem afferret, breuit as taedium eximeret, varietas voluptate afficeret. They be parted indeed, yet so neerely linked together, that the first words of our text are nothing else but a tArdens. Beza.transition, or (as it were) a bridge between both. In this context or preamble, three persons are to be considered especially:
By whom the former treatise was written.
To whom the former treatise was written.
Of whom the former treatise was written.
The party writing the Gospell of all that Iesus did and taught was Luke, by birth (as uHist. lib. 3. cap. 4.Eusebius, and xCatalog. script. in vita Luc. Idem Theopby. lact. & Euthym. pro…m. euang. Luc.Hierome report) of Antiochia: by profession (as Paul writes, Coloss. 4.14.) a Physitian, Luke the beloued Physitian greets you: by calling (as zEpiphanius …eres. 51.some thinke) one of those seuentie Disciples our blessed Sauiour appointed, Luk. 10.1. the which is gathered by aCap. 1. praesat. in Iob.Gregorie the great, and bTheophylact. in Luc. 24. See Gosp. Easter Munday.other out of the 24. chapter of S. Luke, vers. 13. but cLib. 3. cap. 11.Irenaeus, dLib 3. contra Marcian.Tertullian, and the most eEuseb. Hierom. vbi sup. Beda Nice…horus, & al….ancient Doctors affirme, that he was not Christs immediate Disciple, but onelyonly, sectator & Discipulus Apostolorum: a follower and a Disciple of his Apostles. And this Saint Luke testifieth of himselfe in the first chapter of his Gospell, at the second verse, sicut tradiderunt nobis, &c. as they hauehave deliuered them vntounto vsus, which from the beginning saw them themselues. Insinuating that hee wrote his Gospell according to that which he heard of other; but this tract of the acts of the Apostles, according to that which he had seene himselfe.
This man is made by Gods appointment an Euangelist before Peter and Iames, who were counted to bee fGalath. 2.9.pillars of the Church, and seemed to be great, nay ten Apostles being passed by, this poore Physitian a companion of persecuted Paul, and at the best but a Disciple, was preferred to set downe the Gospels history, for so he saith, I hauehave made the former treatise of all that Iesus began to doe and teach. Here then obserue that God is tyed to no man, he calleth whomsoeuer he will vntounto whatsoeuer office pleaseth him: hee made seely fishermen, fishers of men: and of gGalat. 1.22.Paul who was sometime a rauenous wolfe, first a milde sheep, and then a diligent shepheard: of hAmos 1.1.Amos an heardman, a Prophet: of Peter a water man, a chiefe Apostle: of Luke the physi…ian, a great Euangelist. And therefore let vsus not ascribe to much vntounto secondarie causes, but rather attribute all to God, who doth often greatest acts by weakest agents. And let vsus bee so much the more ready to beleeue this, because Luke wrote this, I hauehave made &c. He was not principall author, but instrumentall actor in composing this Treatise: for the Gospell is Gods-pel, or the ghosts-spell, euen the word of the spirit, as Saint i2. Epist. 1.21.Peter teacheth vsus holy men of God in olde time spake not according to the will of men, but as they were moued by the holy Ghost, kGregor. cap. 1. praefa…. in Iob.ipse haec scripsit, quihaec scribenda dictauit.
The party to whom our Euangelist inscribed his Gospell is Theophilus, and here the lEpishan. hares. 51.Doctors doubt whether this name be common or proper. Cardinall mAnnal. tom. 1. ad an. 58.Baronius hath vndergone some paines in discussing this point, but (like himselfe leaues it as he found it) vncertaine. If we take it for a common appellatiue, then vnderstand that the Gospell is written vntounto such as are Theopbils, that is louers of God. The word is a peerelesse nMat 13.46.pearle, and may not be cast vntounto oMat. 7.6.swine who despise it, but opened vntounto the louers of God which are ready to sell all that they hauehave to buy it: eueryevery true Christian is a Theophilus, and eueryevery Theophilus hath a Gospell dedicated to him, as Saint pExplanat. …. Euing. Luc.Ambrose sweetly, Si Deum diligis, ad te scriptum est: si adte scriptum est, suscipe munus Euangelistae, pignus amici, in penetralibus animi diligenter asserna. Seing this inestimable Iewell is sent vntounto thee, q1. m ….10.keepe that which is committed to thy care, lay it vp in the treasure house of your heart, rMat. 6.20.where neither the moath and canker corrupt, and where theeues neither digge thorough nor steale. sAmbros. vbi sup.Consumit tinea, si quod bene legeris, male credas. Arrius is a moath and Photinus a moath, eueryevery hereticke is a moath, as it were fretting the garment of our blessed Sauiour. But two reasons induce me to thinke that Theophilus is a proper name. 1. Saint Luke saith, It seemed good to me, to write vntounto thee from point to point, that thou mightest acknowledge the certainty of those things where of thou halt been instructed. By which he doth tMaldonat. in Luc. ….insinuate, that he wrote to some one particular person whom hee had heretofore catechized by uTheophylast. in Luc. ….word of mouth. 2. The title giuen vntounto Theophilus, Luke 1.3: maketh Interpretors conceiue that hee was a certaine man of eminent quality: xLyranus & Nicephorus lib. 3. cap. 25.some therefore say that hee was a Bishop of Antiochia ▪ but yTheophylact. argument. in Luc. Oecumen. in Acts 1. Baronius vb… sup. sol. 534.other that he was some chiefe gouernor in his common wealth, because the word foreign, vsed by Saint Luke (which we traslate most excellent, or most noble) is the same which is ascribed elsewhere to men of great command: So Paul to Festus, Acts 26.25. I am not mad O noble Festus, foreign So Tertullus an Orator and a great master of words vntounto Felix, Acts …43. We acknowledge it wholy and in all places, foreign, most noble Felix) with …all thankes. So Claudius in his subscription to the same Felix, Acts 23.26. Claudius Lysias foreign, to the most noble gouernour Felix greeting: and the title optimus of all other, was most acceptable to Traian the great Emperor as Xiphilinus out of Dio reports in his life.
Hence then obserue. 1. That rich men and great men are not excluded from Gods kingdome, S. z1. Cor. 1.26.Paul saith in deed not many mightie, not many noble are called; yet some mightie, some noble, as the noble aMarke 15.42.Ioseph of Arimathea, the noble Chamberlain and Treasurour of bActs 8.27.Candaces Queene of Ethiopia, the noble men of cActs 17.11.Berea, and here noble Theophilus of Antiochia.
2. Note by this example, that Christians ought to speake and write courteously, giuing titles of due respect vntounto men of worth and worship, feare, to whom feare: honour, to whom honour belongeth, Rom. 13.7.
3. Learne from hence, that godly men ought to bee religiously politicke, so wise (saith our dMat. 10.16.Sauiour) as serpents in enlarging Gods kingdome. It is likely Saint L…ke dedicated this present and that former history to noble Theophilus ▪ not so much out of any priuate consideration, as for the publike good of the whole Church: for if a great man in authority receiue the word, other instantly wil embrace the same. This vndoubtedly was our Euangelists policie, and till it be our practise the walles of Iericho will neuer bee thoroughly pulled downe, for so long as the Chaplaines are of the closer, flattering and fostering Nobles in their sin: no maruaile if the e1. Iohn 5.19.whole world lieth in wickednes, f….Citharaedo principe, minus est nobilis, when princes are fidlers, the people turne dancers.
The third person is of whom, and that is Iesus: in the former treatise we hauehave spoken of all that Iesus began to doe and teach, &c. Of all; how then is it true which is deliuered by Saint Iohn in the conclusion of his Gospell? there are many other things which Iesus did, the which if they should be written eueryevery one, I suppose th… world could not containe the bookes that should be written. Againe, Saint Luke himselfe after hee had reported the birth of Christ and the purtenances thereof, addes no more of him vntill he was twelue yeare olde disputing with the Doctors in the temple, and then he relates not of any thing what he did for the space of eighteene yeare, from twelue yeare to thirtie. By which it doth appeare that all which Iesus did and taught neither is, nor can bee written. Answere is made by Chrysostome and gErasmus. Caluin. Aretius in loc.other, that Saint Luke said not. I hauehave written all, but of all unsinuating that he wrote all that Iesus did and taught as necessary to the worke of our redemption. He did not i… his former treatise mention eueryevery thing Iesus did and said, but only so much, or the chiefe heads of so much as was expedient to be said and done for the full accomplishment of our saluation, all is to be referred hArdens in loc.ad genera singulorum, and not ad singula generum. iMarlo…atia loc.Here then is a pregnant text against the Papists, kEcllar. de verb. de… lib. 4. cap. 3. Melchior canu… loc co… l…b. 3. cap. 3. … de siad …. 2.holding that beside the word written there be certaine traditions vnwritten, which ought to be beleeued as necessarie to saluation. See Gospell 1. Sun. in Lent.
It is not said of all that Iesus did, but of all that Iesus began to do and teach: lCaictan. in loc.by which our Euangelist intimates that his Gospel is a story not of such acts as Christ did in the beginning as God, but of that only which he did after hee was in the sulnes of time made man, and dwelt among vsus, and became our Iesus. And this history Saint Luke mArctius.diuides into the doings and doctrines of Christ, and by doings he doth vnderstand not his morals only, but his miracles also, yea whatsoeuer Iesus either did or suffered for vsus men and our saluation, recording his death as well as his life, his passions as well as his actions, and indeed they must goe together, because Christs righteousnes consists in both, in doing and in suffering, for in suffering he obeyed, and in obeying he suffered, and the very shedding of his blood (to which our redemption is ascribed more particularly) must not only be considered as it is passiue, that is a suffering: but also as it is actiue, that is an obedience, in which hee shewed his e…eeding louelove both to God and vsus in fulfilling the law for vsus. In this sense then all the sufferings of Christ are comprehended vnderunder the word doing, his resurrection also from the dead, and whatsoeuer else he wrought for our sake.
Th…s was Christs honour that hee was a nLuke 24.19.Prophet, mighty indeed and in word before God and all the people. First, he began to doe, then to teach, saying to his followers, I h…ue giuen an oIo…. 13.15.example to you, pMat. 11.29.learne of me. qAretius. Cal…m.EueryEvery Doctor in like sort, must adorne the soundnes of his lea…ning with holines of life. rLorin. …ap. 1. praesat. in act.The present inscription of this booke doth admonish vsus of action, that a good Apostles dutie consi…s in doi…g, as much as in teaching. I will here confesse ingeniously with s… epist. ….Ardens, In hoc mea, & mei simili…m confunditur prisumptio, qui multa vobis praedico, quae tamen non facio. Sed vtinam (fratres) per…e…ras orationes, ipsa confusio generet in me pudnem, pudor correctionem, correctio emendationem, vt quod prius non feci, post quam praedicanerim facer… incip…am.
In the text following, two points are chiefly considerable, namely Christs
holy conuersation with his Apostles after his resurrection for the space of 40. dayes, verse, 3.4.5.6.7.8.
glorious ascen…ion ensuing that his conuersation, verse 9.10.11.
I hauehave spoken of the former often elsewhere, the latter is only proper to this our present feast, in which obserue three circumstances especially. The
place of Christs ascension.
time of Christs ascension.
manner of Christs ascension.
The place from whence Christ ascended (as we may collect out of this Chapter at the 12. verse) was the me…nt of Oliues neere tLuke 24.50.Bethanie, containing a Sabbath dayes to …o…r…ry from Ierusalem. Hee did ascend from a mount; an open, high, eminent place, u….that he might as sure the certaine truth of his ascension. If hee should hauehave withdrawne himselfe in secret, happily the disciples would hauehave doubted of his ascension, as they did a while of his resurrection: but now beholding him openly, publiquely mounting from a mount they could not but affirme it themselues, and confirme it vntounto other.
2. Christ ascended from a mount, rather then from a valley, from an high place rather then from a low: for that it was one step vntounto his iournies ende, x…. L…rin.hereby teaching vsus not to looke for extraordinarie miracles, so long as ordinarie meanes will serue: he went so farre to heauen as he could on earth, & then being on a mount, and so not able by naturall helpe to goe higher, a cloud receiued him out of their sight.
3. It may be Christ ascended from a mount, for that he desired to stay so long, and to spend so many houres as he conueniently could in instructing his followers before he departed. Hereby demonstrating his exceeding great louelove to the disciples in particular, as also to the whole Church in generall, as you shall heare …urther in the discussing of the circumstances of time when Christ ascended.
The mount from whence hee did ascend was the mount of Oliues, and it was the yLuke 24.39.same place from whence he went to be crucified. One place serued to be a passage both to his crosse and to his crowne, zPerkins expos. Creed. art. ascen.signifying hereby that the way to heauen is by the gates of hell, as Paul and Barnabas preach, Acts 14.22. thorough many tribulations we must enter into the kingdome of God. A wicked man in prosperity walketh as in the day, the Sunne is before, but the shadow behind him: a good man on the contrary walketh as in the night, his shadow goes before, but great light and ioy commeth afterward. Diues and Lazarus exemplifie this in the 16. of Saint Luke, Diues in his life was furnished with rich apparell, and filled eueryevery day with delicate fare, there was his Sunne-shine: but he died and was buried, and was exceedingly tormented in hell, there was his shadow, nay that which is called in the aMat. 8.12. & 22.13.Scriptures vtter darknes. Lazarus on the contrary was an obscure base creature, full of sorrowes in his soule, and sores in his body, there was his shadow: but when he died hee was conueyed by glorious Angels into the bosome of blessed Abraham, there was his light and glory. It is an hard and almost impossible thing (saith bConsolat. ad lulian. tom. 1. sol. 208.Hierome) that any should passe from great pleasures in this world to the greatest pleasures in the next, vt quis hic ventrem, & ibi mentem impleat, vt de delicys transeat ad delicias. And as the same mEpist. … He…ol de vita Eremetica.father told Heliodore, Delicatus es si & his vis gaudere cum seculo, & postea regnare cum Christo. Here then is comfort for the disconsolate, many through lingring diseases as the dead palsie, the gout, and the like, l…e bedrid, and as it were buried long before their death, insomuch as their beds which heretofore were places of rest and ease to them, are now couches of teares and misery. Yet these men hence hauehave great comfort if they make good vse of Gods visitation, for their bed in their sicknesse on which they suffer so much heauinesse, shall on their dying day be to them a Bethanie, from which they shall ascend to the kingdome of eternall happinesse.
Or nPaluden. ser. de ascen. … See Ferus ser. 3. in ….Bethanie signifies the house of obedience, wherfore seeing Christ was obedient vntounto God his father in all things vntounto the death, euen the death of the Crosse; therfore God hath exalted him highly, Phil. 2.8. Through disobedience we were cast our of Paradise, and through obedience wee shall enter in againe, o… pilat. tbi sap.sola obedientis accepit palmam, & inobedienti… p…nam.
I passe from the circumstances of place, to the circumstances of time. When is had spoken these things, &c. that is as you may reade, vers. 3. all those things which appertaine to the kingdome of God. After hee had p… 24.50.blessed them, and (as it is the Gospell allotted for this day) giuen them a large commission to preach, adorned with many singular priuiledges and promises, assuring them and their posterity, that hee would bee present in spirit with them alwaie qMat. 28.10.till the end of the world; when hee had spo…en all these things, he was taken vp on high, &c. This sheweth euidently, that hee is a most indu…trious and vigilant Pastor of his Church, affecting and effecting also the good thereof. As the rEs…y 9.6.gouerment is on his shoulder, so was hee more faithfull in Gods house then Moses was, Heb. 3.5.6. He did not ascend and (as it were breake vp schoole) till hee had instructed his Disciples in all points appertaining to their calling and his kingdome. Now looke what care Christ at his ascension had ouer his Church, the same must eueryevery Master hauehave ouer his houshold, and eueryevery Minister ouer his cure, when it shall please God to take them out of this world. A Prophet is sent to King sEsay 38.1.Hezechia to bid him put his house in order for hee must die: signifying hereby that it is the dutie of a good Master of a family to hauehave care not onelyonly for the gouerment of his house whilest he is aliue but also that it may be well ordered when he is dead. The same care must in like sort bee practised of Ministers, according to the paterne of S. tAct. 20.27.Paul, I hauehave kept nothing backe, but hauehave shewed all the councell of God vntounto you; take heed therefore, &c. for I know this, that after my departing shall grieuous Wolues enter in among you, not sparing the flocke. So likewise S. u2. Pet 1.14.Peter, I know that the time is at hand that I must lay downe this my tabernacle, I will endeauour therefore alwaies that yee may be able to hauehave remembrance of these things after my departure. If it bee part of thy fidelity that Gods people, committed vntounto thy particular charge, may be well instructed after thy death? O how carefull oughtest thou to be for their good in thy life? Rapite (saith xIn Psal. 33. con. 2.Augustine) quos potestis hortando, portando, rogando, disputando, &c. that is, in the words of y1. Tim. 4.2.Paul, Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season, improue, rebuke, ex…ort with all long suffering and doctrine.
The second circumstance of time is, while his Apostles beheld, &c. If any demand why he would not hauehave the whole nation of the Iewes see him ascend, that so they might assuredly know that hee was risen againe from the dead, and so beleeue in him. zPerkins exposit. creed. art. ascen.Answere is made that it is Gods good pleasure that the mysteries of holy beleefe whereof Christs ascension is one, should rather bee learned by aRom. 10.17.hearing then by seeing, according to that of bStromat. 5.Clemens Alexandrinus, …aith is the soules eare. Christs owne Disciples, indeed were taught his ascension by sight, that they might the better teach other who did not see, they were witnesses of these things chosen before of God for the same purpose, Act. 10.39. 41. Whereas therefore c1. C… 12.2.Paul had no witnesse of his being taken vp into the third heauen: and d2. King. 2.11.Eliah one spectator onelyonly who saw him as he went vp in a chariot of fieri… horses and a whirle wind into heauen; Christ had many beholders of his ascension, hee was taken vp on high, uidentibus illis, in the sight of all his Apostles assembled together. He did ascend, paulatim (as eSer. 178. l… temp.Augustine speaks) he was neither suddenly snatched away, nor yet secretly stolne away: but while they beheld hee was taken vp on high, as it followeth in the manner of his ascending to be considered, A cloud receiued him out of their sight.
Now whereas he caused a cloud to come betweene himselfe and their sight, it fCal…in. in loc.signified vntounto them that hereafter they must bee content with that which they had seene, and not curiously to seeke to know further what became of him. And the same thing is taught vsus also, wee must content our selues with that Almighty God hath in his holy word reuealed, and enquire no further in things appertaining to God. His word is a sufficient lanterne to our feet, and a guide to, our paths; a perfect glosse, yea gI…, 1.23.glasse of his knowne will, in which eueryevery true beleeuer may see so much as hee need to search in this life. For the like end in giuing the Law on mount Sinai God appeared in a hE…o…. 19 9.thicke cloud; and when hee did manifest his glory in Salomons Temple, a darke cloud i1. …ing. 8.10.filled the same.
Happily some will obiect how Christ elsewhere promised he would neuer leaue his Church, I am alway with you till the end of the world, Matth. 28.10. Answere is made, that these words are to bee construed of the presence of his Godhead or spirit, not of the presence of his manhood: and therefore two glorious Angels at the 11. verse chide the Disciples hanging on his bodily presence, Why stand yee gazing into heauen? It is true that Christ is to be found in heauen, kMarlorat. in Matth. 28.20.yet not with the gazing eyes of flesh, but onelyonly with the spirituall eyes of faith. It may be further alleaged if the Godhead bee present on earth, then the manhood must of necessity be present there, because both are vnited together. Our mSee Perkins vbi sup. & 11. Bilson against the Iesuites, sol. 786.787. &c.Diuines answere this argumēt yt followes not, Christs manhood subsists in that person which is eueryevery where, ergo, his manhood is eueryevery where. The reason is plaine, saith nContra gentes lib. 4. cap. 49.Aquine, because the sonne of God doth not only subsist in his diuine nature, but also by his diuine nature: whereas hee doth not subsist at all by the manhood, but in the manhood onelyonly; for the word was in the beginning, when the manhood was not; God of the sub…tance of his Father, begotten before the worlds, man of the substance of his mother borne in the world, as Athanasius in his Creed. And therefore Christ alway was, is, and euer will be with vsus in his spirit, though absent in his body; for a cloud on this day tooke him vponupon high out of our sight, oAct. 3.21.whom the heauens must containe till the time that all things bee restored, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began. I conclude this argument in S. pIn Psal 46.Augustines glosse, Videte ascendentem, credite in absentem, sperate venientem, sed tamen per misericordiam occultam etiam sentite praesentem.