The Third Part from John Baptists Nativity, Part 5
The Epistle,
ACTS 11. 27.
In those dayes came Prophets from the City of Hierusalem vntounto Antioch, &c.
THe contents of this text are dearth and death; the dearth is generall, a great dearth thorough out all the world: the death is particular, of one person only, to wit of Iames the brother of Iohn whose memory we celebrate this day.
In the dearth obserue
1. Gods iustice in punishing the wicked, with a dearth, and that a great dearth, and that through out the world.
2. Gods mercy in preseruing the godly, foretelling it by his Prophet Agabus, and so consequently preuenting the rage of it by the prouident care and charitable contributions of Disciples and brethren.
In the death obserue the
Murtherer, Herod the King.
Martyr, Iames the brother of Iohn.
Matter, or cause why for that he was of the Church.
Manner, with the sword.
Dearth is one of Gods foure sore iudgements Ezechiel 14. 21. Barrennes of the ground is a maine string of his whip against sinne, when (saith fEz…ch. 14. 13.he) the land sinneth against me by committing a trespasse, then I will stretch out mine hand vponupon it, and will breake the staffe of the bread thereof, and will send famine vponupon it. If ye will not obey me, nor hearken vntounto my commandements, gLeuit. 26. 19. Deut. 28. 23.I will make your heauen as iron, and your earth as brasse, your strength shall be spent in vaine, neither shall your land giuegive her increase, neither shall the trees of the land giuegive their fruit. Famine then is brought vponupon a kingdome by hAmos 3. 6.Gods appointment, and that for the sinnes of the land: and surely Saint Luke iGualter in loc.points at the causes of this vniuersall dearth in saying it came to passe in the dayes of Claudius Caesar. For by the worlds Emperour we may iudge much of the worlds estate, the vices of Princes first infect the nobles, and then afterward the nobles infect the gentlemen, and the gentlemen in fine corrupt the commons, kTraian. symb. vti Reusner. in symb.qualis rex, talis grex, such prince such people. It is reported of this Claudius that he did lXiphilin in vita Claudij.indulgere conuiuijs & concubitibus effusissimè, growing thorough his intemperance so dull and vnfit for any good seruice, that his mSueton. in Claudio.mother vsed to say he was a monster of men, a worke of nature begun, but not finished: he got his Empire by corrupting the souldiers, and during his reigne he serued his belly, committing all vncleannes nEphes. 4. 19.euen with greedines, no maruaile then if the Lord sent a dearth in the dayes of Claudius, no wonder if he denyed the fruites of the ground vntounto such a drunken and dissolute generation: in our age moe then one Claudius reignes, there be many Kings of good fellowes in the world; drunkennes domineers in eueryevery place (the country village not excepted) abusing the manifold blessings of God in wantonnes and idlenes: and therefore wee may feare iustly, that the Lord ere it be long will send some great dearth among vsus, as hee did in the dayes of our forefathers: he hath already oPsalm. 7. 13.whet his sword, and bent his bow, and prepared his arrowe to shoote at vsus, he hath in these latter yeares turned our winters into sommers, and our sommers into winters, so that whereas pLuke 10. ….Christ said the haruest is great, and the labourers are few: we contrariwise, the labourers are many, but the haruest is little; he hath in the spring nipped the fruites of our trees, and in autumne taken away the flockes of our sheepe, hee hath also cursed our qDeut. 28. 17.basket and our dough, in so much as the poore hauehave long felt a dearth, and the rich also begin to feare a famine, the which is the rSee Lorin. in loc. & in Act. 7. 11.most grieuous of all the foure sore iudgements of God, for the noysome beasts and the sword kill in a moment, but there be many lingring deaths in a dearth, as the sIerem. Lament. cap. 4. 9.Prophet in his lamentations, they that be slaine with the sword are better then they that be killed with hunger, and to the same purpose tDe re milit. lib. 3. cap. 3.Vegetius, ferro saeuior fames: And as for the pestilence, there was alwayes in nature so well as in name so great affinity betweene foreign and foreign, that (as uGalen. apud Lorin. in loc.Physitians and experience daily teach) after a great dearth ordinarily there followeth a great plague, because men in a scarsity of victuals are constrained out of necessity to feed on vnwholsome and vnsauory meates: in holy Bible we find example that extreame hunger made mothers murtherers, and so turned the sanctuary of life into the shambles of death. Lamentat. 4. 10. The hands of pitifull women hauehave sodden their owne children, which were there meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. Famine then as S. xSer. 3. contra diuites auaros.Basile termeth it, is the top of all humane calamities, for whereas the noysome beasts, and the sword, and the pestilence make quicke dispatch out of misery: fames diutiùs malum, ocyùs torquet, lentiùs tabefacit, sensim occidit.
In this great dearth it is certaine that the godly suffered among the wicked, the good among the bad, the beleeuing Christians among vnbeleeuing Gentiles: the Church of Antioch (as we read in the former part of this present Chapter) endued with many notable graces and adorned with this eminent honour, that the Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch, is afflicted now with a grieuous dearth, I say now yGualter.when her goods were partly taken away by the rage of persecution, and partly giuen away to releiue the poore brethren: all the world was infested with this dearth, and the Church (in these respects) more then all other of the world.
Now the reasons are manifold why God suffers his owne people to be crossed: 1. To bridle the lust of our flesh, that wee should not be z1. Cor. 11. 32.condemned with the world: 2. To teach vsus patience, saying with holy aIob 2. 10.Iob, shall we receiue good at the hand of God, and shall we not receiue euill? 3. To shew that he is as well able to deliuer vsus in aduersity, as to keepe vsus in prosperity. Psalm. 37. 19. The godly shall not be confounded in the perillous time, and in the dayes of dearth they shall hauehave enough. So wee finde here that God in his bHabacuc. 3. 2.anger remembring mercy, comforted his Church in this vniuersall hunger-rot ouer all the world: first in foretelling it, and afterward by stirring vp the charitable mindes of good people to preuent the furiousnes of it as wel in themselues as in other, he foretold this famine, for cAmos 3. 7.surely the Lord God will doe nothing, but he reuealeth his secret vntounto his seruants the Prophets. He foretold the flood, vntounto dGen. 6.Noe; the destruction of Sodome, to father eGen. 18.Abraham and righteous fGen. 19. 13.Lot; the dearth in Egypt, vntounto Ioseph; Gen. 41. And here the Prophet Agabus gCaluin, Salmeron, Arcularius.not by starre-gazing, or figure-flinging, or coniu…ing, or any curious arte, but by the spirit signified that there should be great dearth thorough out al the world, which also came to passe in the dayes of Claudius the Emperour.
It is obiected here which is said, Mat. 11. 13. All the Prophets and the law prophesied vntounto Iohn, how then could there be Prophets in this age? to this obiection answere is made, that the hMusculus, Aretius. in Mat. 11. See Lorin. in Act. 2. 17.meaning of those words is, that Christ is the iRom. 10. 4.end of the law and the Prophets, and so consequently their office who prophesied hee should come, was at an end when Iohn the Baptist had openly preached that he was come: but there continued still in the Church other Prophets of another kinde, for Christ ascending vp on high gaue gifts vntounto men, and ordeyned some to be Apostles, and some Prophets, Ephes. 4. 11. Now these Prophets are such as kLombard. Aquin. in Eph…s. 4.interpret the words of the Prophets, as 1. Cor. 14. 4. He that prophesieth edifieth the Church, and Mat. 23. 34. Behold (saith our blessed Sauiour) I send vntounto you Prophets, that is, preachers. Or else Prophets are such lAnselm, Beza, Zanchius.as by the powerfull instinct of the spirit foretold things to come, as the foure daughters of Philip, Acts 21. 9. And Agabus in this history. See further Epist. on S. Markes day.
Then came Prophets from Hierusalem vntounto Antioch] mLorin. in loc.Happily to get some releife for the poore brethren in Iurie: or else to confirme the new planted Church in Antiochia, for as the n1. Cor. 1. 22.Iewes required a signe, so the Grecians sought after wisedome. And therefore the Prophets in speaking with diuers tongues, and in foretelling things to come manifested exquisite wisedome among those conuerts, and thereby strengthened them in the faith: it is said here that many Prophets came from Hierusalem, and yet Agabus only stood vp, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth in all the world, hereby shewing that eueryevery Prophet had his particular gift, and that in a certaine proportion according to the will of the spirit diuiding to eueryevery man a seuerall grace, 1. Cor. 12. See epist. 2. Sun. after the Epiphan. and 10. Sun. after Trinity.
Then the Disciples eueryevery man according to his ability purposed to send succour] There be two principall heades of Christianity, faith and good workes. The Disciples of Antiochia were so thoroughly conuerted vntounto the faith of Christ, as that they receiued this honour to bee the first of all the world that were called Christians. And oIustus, Ionas, Gualter.now they shew their faith by there good workes, in sending succour vntounto the brethren in Iury. Faith is operatiue, made full, and fat, and faire by deeds of charitie, for so pChemnit. loc. com. tit. de bonis operibus quaest. 4.Luther and Chemnitius write, qAlsted. System. Theolog. lib. 3. loc. 17.fides est radix charitatis, & charitas est fructus fidei, fides efficit filios dei, charitas probat. And it hath often been obiected against the professors in our age, rCamden. epist. before his Britan.that our forefathers in the dayes of ignorance did more then they knew: but we liuing in the great light of the Gospell know more then we doe: many purpose much in their mind, and promise much also with their mouth, who faile notwithstanding in performance. The witles vnthrift hath a purpose sometime to follow the workes of his calling diligently, yet either all the day bowling or bowzing hold him as a prisoner in his idlenes: a factious schismatike promiseth vnderunder his hand conformity, yet sometime to please the people he runneth a course contrary to the proceedings of the Church; euen the best men hauehave their fallings and failings in this kinde, for after wee purpose to visite the sieké, and to send succour vntounto the poore brethren, either our pleasures abroad, or else profit at home keepe vsus (often I feare) from so good a worke: but it is said of the Disciples here, that they did not only purpose to relieue the distressed members of Christ among the Iewes; but also that they performed it indeed: so the text, which thing also they did, and sent it to the Elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. sGueuara epist.One said that hell is like to bee full of good wishes, but heauen full of good workes. If a good motion then arise in our minde let vsus instantly cherish it, and if it breake forth into promise, let vsus according to our ability performe it.
Worldly minded cormorants in a deare yeare desire to make the famine greater, tBrentius in loc.quanto aestu, quanto astu, how doe they sweat in braine and body to hord vp corne to their neighbours hinderance, if these Merchants had the spirit of prophesie but one yeare they would afterward turne Gentlemen all the dayes of their life. But the Christians of Antiochia contrariwise being admonished by the Prophet Agabus of a great dearth in all the world, consult presently how to lessen and mitigate the furiousnes of it, as well in other as in themselues: and this prouision and preuention is not against our uMat. 6. 25. 34.Sauiours precept, be not carefull for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drinke, care not for the morow, because Christ in so saying onelyonly forbids extraordinarie diffidence, not ordinarie prouidence; immoderate carking, not a moderate care: for eueryevery man must xEphes. 4. 28.labour in his vocation, and y1. Tim. 5. 8.prouide for his owne, namely for them of his houshold, otherwise he denyeth the faith, and is worse then an Infidel. If it be not lawfull to care prouidently for to morrow, wherefore should the zGen. 41. 35. 48.scripture magnifie the wisedome of Ioseph, in laying vp corne for seauen yeares to come. Wherefore did Solomon commend the good housewife Prouerb. 31. 13. and send the sluggard vntounto the pismire Prouerb. 6. 6. Wherefore did a2. Cor. 12. 14.Paul aduise fathers to lay vp for their children; wherfore had Beniamin a bGen. 44. 12.sack, Dauid a c1. Sam. 17. 40.scrip, Christ himselfe a dIohn 13. 29.bag, See Epist. 3. Sunday after Trinity.
eEthic. lib. 4. cap. 1.Aristotle requires in true liberalitie these foure circumstances, especially
quid, what.
quibus, to whom.
quando, when.
quomodo, how.
The Disciples of Antioch obserued in their almes all these, first for quid, they gaue neither too little, which had been miserablenesse, nor yet too much, which on the contrary had been prodigality; but eueryevery man sent succour according to his ability. We must in deed giuegive sayd fMat. 5. 42.Christ omni petenti, but as gLib. 1. de ser, dom. in monte.Augustine glosseth it sweetly non omnia petenti, we may not exhaust the fountaine of bounty, but so giuegive to day that we may likewise giuegive to morrow, and that not niggardly, for h2. Cor. 9. 6.he that soweth sparingly, shall reape also sparingly, and he that soweth liberally, shall reape also liberally.
2. The Disciples here gaue quibus vntounto such as they should, in sending succour vntounto the brethren who dwelt in Iewry. iDe benefic. lib. 1. cap. 1.Seneca sayd, beneficia sine vllo delectu proijcimus magis quàm damus: as therefore they did not giuegive profusè but according to their ability, so likewise not confusè, but addressed their almes vntounto those who wanted most, and had deserued best of them. The brethren in Iewry had more need then Infidels in Antiochia, because they were kHeb. 10. 34.spoyled of their goods as Paul witnesseth in an Epistle to them. And these conuerts of Antiochia were debtors vntounto the Iewes, lBrentius, Caluin, Arcularius.as hauing receiued the sweet comforts of the Gospel from them. It is our duty to mGalat. 6. 10.doe good vntounto all men, especially to those which are of the houshold of faith, and among the houshold of faith aboue the rest vntounto such as hauehave been our spirituall fathers in n1. Cor. 4. 15.begetting vsus vntounto Christ. oRom. 15. 27.If the Gentiles be made partakers of the Iewes spirituall things, their duty is to minister vntounto them in carnall things, as p1. Cor. 9. 11.Paul told his Corinthians, if we hauehave sowen vntounto you spirituall things, is it a great matter if we reape your temporall things? This paterne condemnes exceedingly the practise of some professors in our age, whose chiefe policy, yea piety consists in contriuing how to lessen the Clergy-mans estate. The Merchants trade concernes our dainty dyet and brauery, the Lawyers occupation our goods, the Phisitians art our body; but the Pastour hath a cure of our soules: now sayth Christ in the Gospell, qMat. 6. 25.is not the life more worth then the meat, and the body then rayment? and the soule more pretious then rMat. 16. 26.all? and yet the carnall Gospellors enuy not the prodigious wealth of Merchants, of Lawyers, of Players, all is well if the Priest be poore, this vponupon the point is their only Diana both in publique parlie, & in priuate conference; they labour to decrease the Ministers wages, and yet increase his worke: the which is like Pharoes oppressing Gods people mentioned Exod. 5. get you straw where ye can finde it, yet shall nothing of your labour be diminished. I know worldlings entertaine some Prophets kindly, but it is not as sMat. 10. 41.Christ sayd in the name of a Prophet, it is happily for that the Prophet is a kinseman, or a Gentleman, or a mery man, a good neighbour, a good fellow, a man of their owne humour; but a Prophet is not embraced of them in the name of a Prophet. The disciples of Antiochia because they receyued the Gospel of some Iewes, acknowledged themselues debtours vntounto all Iewes: but vncharitable factious hypocrites in our time because they hauehave receiued a litle hard vsage from some one Preacher, hate the whole reuerend order of the Cleargy for the same, tHierom. epist. ad Nepo. devita Cleric.neminem hic specialiter me us sermo pulsauit, generalis de vitijs disputatio est, qui mihi irascuntur uIdem epist. ad Rustic. de viuendi forma.suam iudicant conscientiam, & multo peius de se, quàm de me iudicant.
3. For quando, they prouided a medicine so soone as they heard of the malady, when Agabus had signified by the spirit, that there should be great dearth in all the world, then the disciples eueryevery man according to his ability, purposed to send succour, &c. A good man is xPsalm. 1. 3.like a good tree that will bring forth fruit in due season. yProuerb. 13. 12.Hope deferred is the fainting of the heart: one bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, in giuing of almes bis dat qui citò dàt, is a better rule then serò sed seriò: a late largesse contents not a distressed soule so much as a litle giuen opportunely, non bona tam pensat quàm benefacta deus. zDe benefic. lib. 2. cap. 5.Seneca who spent many houres in discussing of this argument, giues this aduise, fac si quid facis, tardè velle nolentis est, an non intelligis tantum te gratiae demere, quantum morae adijcis, est proprium libenter facientis citò facere. Lend to thy neighbour in time of his need, Ecclesiast. 29. 2. it is not a good turne, vnlesse it be done in a good time.
4 For quomodo, the disciples of Antiochia bestowed their almes cheerefully and carefully. aAretius, Brentius, Caluin.Cheerefully, for that eueryevery man according to his ability purposed to send succour, it was an act not enforced by law, but only proceeding out of their louelove, the which exceedingly commended their bounty, for a benefite consists in the mind more then in the mine, bSeneca de benefic. lib. 1. cap. 5.manu non tangitur, animo cernitur, & multo gratius venit quod facili, quàm quod plena manu datur: and it is said in holy scripture that God loueth a cheereful giuer, 2. Cor. 9. 7. cIohn 7. 38.He that beleeueth in me (quoth our blessed Sauiour) shall hauehave riuers of liuing waters flowing out of his belly, dTyndal prolog vponupon Exod.that is, all good works and all gifts of grace spring out of him euen by their owne accord, thou needest not to wrest any good deeds out of him, as a man would wring veriuce out of crabs, because they flow naturally out of him as springs out of rocks. Againe the disciples here gaue their almes carefully, vsing trusty messengers and ministers in this busines: they sent not their succour vntounto the people promiscuously, but to the gouernours and elders of the Church, that it might be distributed with discretion and distinction, according to the seuerall necessities of the Saints; and that it might be safely conueyed vntounto the brethren, it was deliuered into the hands of Barnabas and Saul, men of eConcerning Pauls care, see Rom. 15. 1. Cor. 16. & 2. Cor. 8.approued credit.
Hitherto concerning dearth, it remaines I should now speake of death, to wit, of S. Iames martyrdome, and in it first of the murtherer Herod the king, not Herod the great, who butchered the Bethlehemitish innocent infants Matth. 2. nor Herod the Tetrarch, who beheaded Iohn the Baptist Matth. 14. but fSalmeron, Arcularius.Herod Agrippa, grandchild to Herod the great, the which I finde thus distinguished in gGuido ex Lyran. & Aretius, ex Barthold…. in loc. See D. Hanmer notes vponupon Euseb hist. lib. 2. cap. 10.verse.
Ascalonita necat pueros, Antipa Ioannem,
Agrippa Iacobum, claudens in carcere Petrum.
This Herod stretched out his hands, and Kings hauehave hNon nôsti longas regibus esse manus? Ouid.long hands, not to cherish, but to vexe: for Tyrants delight most in destructiue power: iAretius.not to vexe ruffians, or ribalds, or robbers, but certaine of the Church: kMarlorat.for the Deuill and all his instruments are disquieted at the light of the Gospell. Herod therefore stretched out his hands against the Church, and vexed certaine, lSalmeron.that is, some who were strong souldiers in fighting the Lords battaile, for God will not suffer the weake to be tempted aboue there ability, 1. Cor. 10. 13. First, Herod killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword, and afterward he proceeded further and tooke Peter also. Iames first dranke of Christs cup, and mPelargus.so consequently … the first of all the twelue Apostles in Christs kingdome, according to the request of his mother in the Gospell allotted for this day: now the reason why God suffers blody tyrants to vexe his Church is nArdens, hom. in Epist. in festo Petri.threefold. 1. For the tryall and exercise of the godly, quod enim fornax auro, quod lima ferro, quod aqua panno, hoc confert tribulatio iusto. 2. For the confusion and illusion of the wicked, because sanguis martyrum is semen ecclesiae. 3. For the manifestation of his infinite power and wisdome, who can bring light out of darknes, and vse wicked instruments vntounto good purposes.