The Third Part from John Baptists Nativity, Part 9
The Epistle.
2. COR. 4. 1.
Seeing that we hauehave such an office, &c.
THis text is part of S. Pauls Apologie iustifying his doctrine as well for the matter as the manner against all the slanders of his aduersaries the false Apostles: he remembers here more particularly three vertues in his preaching
sedulity, seeing we hauehave such an office, euen as God hath had mercy on vsus, we goe not out of kinde, or we faint not.
sincerity, but hauehave cast from vsus the cloakes of vnhonesty.
humility, for we preach not our selues, but Christ Iesus to be the Lord, and our selues your seruants for Iesus sake.
Seeing that we hauehave such an office] pAretius, Piscator.Two things especially caused Paul to be diligent in his office. 1. The worthines of his Ministry, seeing that we hauehave such an office: 2. The goodnes of God in calling him to such an high calling, euen as God hath had mercy on vsus. The ministration of the Gospell (as he shewed in the Chapter before) doth excell qSee Epist. 12. Sun. after Trinit.in grace and glory the ministration of the law: In grace, for the letter killeth, but the spirit giueth life, the law being the ministration of condemnation, but the Gospell the ministration of righteousnes: In glory, both in respect of countenance, for it is more honorable to be the minister of merciemercy, then executioner of Iudgement: and in respect of continuance, for Moses glorie is done away, but the Gospels ministrie remayneth: all Moses glorie was but a type of Christs glorie, now the substance being come, the shadow vanisheth; rMat. 11. 13.all the Prophets and the law prophecied vntounto Iohn, but sIohn 1. 17.Truth and grace came by Iesus Christ. As far then as the sunne doth obscure the lesser lights; euen so farre the Gospell exceedes in glorie the Law, t1. Cor. 13. 10.for when that which is perfect is come, then that which is imperfect is abolished.
The second thing that made Paul constantly diligent in his function is Gods merciemercy shewed on him in his office, being an Apostle, uGalat. 1. 1.not of men, neither by man, but by Iesus Christ, xRom. 1. 1. Acts 13. 2.put a part to preach the Gospell by y2. Cor. 1. 1.the will of God. I was (saith he 1. Tim. 1.) both a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an oppressor, but Christ receiuing me to merciemercy, put me in his seruice, by whose grace I am whatsoeuer I am, 1. Cor. 15. 10. wherfore seing we hauehave such an excellent office, so gracious, so glorious: and seing God hath (out of the riches of his merciemercy, zTheophylact. Aquin. Anselm.not out of any worth of our owne merite) called vsus vntounto such an office, we faint not in this our ministrie for any aHierom. Primasius. Lombard.tribulation or trouble whatsouer. bMarlorat.So Paul expounds himselfe in this present Chapter, we are troubled on eueryevery side, yet not distressed: in pouerty, but not in despaire: persecuted, but not forsaken: cast downe, but not cast away: therefore we faint not, for though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed daily, for our light affliction which is but for a moment, causeth vntounto vsus a far most excellent and an eternall weight of glorie, while we looke not on the things which are seene, but on the things which are not seene, for the things which are seene are temporall, but the things which are not seene eternall, as if he should say, seeing our work is excellent, and our reward (when we hauehave c2. Tim. 4. 7.fought our fight and ended our course) most excellent: we slacke not our duetie for any crosse or care, but d2. Cor. 6. 4.approue our selues as the ministers of God in all things, in afflictions, in necessities, in anguishes, in stripes, in strifes, in labours, &c. by honour and dishonour, by bad report and good report, as sorrowing and yet alway reioycing; as poore, yet making many rich; as hauing nothing, and yet possessing all things.
We hauehave cast from vsus the cloakes of vnhonestie] For as much as the eB. Latymer ser. …t Pauls.deuill is the most diligent preacher in the whole world, f1. Pet. 5. 8.walking about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may deuoure, & his agents gMat. 23. 15.compasse sea and land to make men of their profession: our Apostle to his industrie further addeth in his preaching sinceritie, we cast from vsus the cloakes of vnhonestie &c. that is, we hauehave renounced (hAretius. as a father vtterly forsakes a disobedient sonne) iLombard Aquin.not onelyonly notorious and open crimes, but also those which are hidden, and as it were cloathed with cloaks and colours of excuse: for so Paul kTheophylact.construeth himselfe in the clause following, we walke not in craftinesse &c. that is, we deale not as the false Apostles in lAnselm.hypocrisie, mMat. 7. 15.comming vntounto you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly are rauening wolues; neither handle we the word deceitfully, that is, nAretius. Marlorat. Beza.as he said in this oEap. 2. vers. 17.epistle before, we doe not as many, make merchandise of the word. pAquin. Lombard. Anselm.We preach not for gaine or glorie, for such are hirelings, Iohn 10. 12. neither doe we sophisticate the word, as they who mingle heauen and earth, and ioine the ceremoni…s of Moses law with the Gospel of Iesus Christ as necessarie to saluation, for such are wolues. We preach neither qPrimasius.flattringly, nor falsly, but open the truth, and commend ourselues to eueryevery mans conscience in the sight of God, rBullenger.that is, we hauehave deliuered ye word so plainly, so purely, neither sApocalyp. 22. 18.adding any thing to it, nor diminishing any thing of it, tTheophylact.as that our deeds speaking for our doctrine, we appeal to the consciences of all such as hauehave heard vsus, and to God himselfe who seeth all things, and vnderstandeth eueryevery secret of our heart so well as eueryevery word of our mouth, euen he that knoweth all things u2. Cor. 11. 31.knoweth that I lye not.
If our Gospell be yet hid, it is hid among them that are lost,] xAquin. Aretius. Beza.Here Paul preuenteth an obiection, if you faint not in opening the truth vntounto the consciences of all men, how commeth it to passe that many beleeue not your Gospell? He doth answere directly, that the fault is not in the Gospell it selfe, for that is a shining light to such as are in darknesse: but in vnbeleeuers whose minds are blinded by the god of this world, least the light of the Gospell of the glorie of Christ (which is the image of God) should shine vntounto them.
That is eueryevery mans god in this world which he likes best, and loues most, as yEphes. 5. 5. Iob. 31. 24.gold is a couetous mans god, and zPhilip. 3. 19.belly cheere a voluptuous mans god, and preferment an ambitious mans god. And aAquin. Caietan.these gods blind the mind of vnbeleeuers, that they should not in this world see the light of grace, nor in the world to come the light of glorie. So we read Luk. 14 when a certaine man had ordeined a great supper, and inuited many, saying, come, for all things are readie: the first said, I hauehave bought a farme, and I must needs go to see it, Honor was the god that blinded his eyes. Another said, I hauehave bought fiue yoke of oxen, and I goe to proue them, Riches was the god that blinded his eyes. A third said, I hauehave maryed a wife, and therefore I cannot come, Pleasure was the god that blinded his eyes. See Gospell 2. Sun. after Trinitie.
bTheophylact. Primasius. Anselm.Other vnderstand this of the true God, which is the God of this world, for that he made it, according to that of cPsalm. 24. 1.Dauid, The earth is the Lords, and all that therein is, the compasse of the world, and they that dwell therein. And God is said to blind the minds of vnbeleeuers, dAquin.Non inducendo malitiam, sed merito, potius demerito praecedentium peccatorum subtrahendo gratiam. It is Gods merciemercy, that the light of the word shines in the hearts of his elect, and it is Gods iustice, that it is hidden among those which are lost. I am come said eIohn 9. 39.Christ vntounto iudgement in this world, that they which see not, might see, and that they which see, might be made blind. And Rom. 11. 8. God hath giuen them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and eares that they should not heare; that the Gospell in it selfe a shining light, and the fRom. 1. 16.power of God vntounto saluation, should be hidden among the lost, and so become the g2. Cor. 2. 16.sauour of death vntounto death; is an heauie, yet an holie iudgement: For, hRom. 1. 28.as they regard not to know God, euen so God deliuers them vp vntounto a reprobate sense, iTheophylact. Oecumem.suffring their eyes to be blinded, least the light of the Gospell should shine vntounto them. kAretius.As by the bright beames of the sunne waxe is softned, and yet dirt is hardned: euen so by the preaching of the word, the hearts of such as shall be saued are mollified, but the hearts of such as are lost are further hardned. To day then, euen while it is called to day, suffer the words of exhortation, if thou hauehave an eare to heare, harden not thine heart, but harken vntounto Gods voice, speaking in the bookes of his Scriptures, and by the mouthes of his Prophets vntounto thee.
lLombard. Aquin. Caluin.Other vnderstand this of Satan, here called the god, as elsewhere, mIohn 12. 31.the prince of this world, that is, seculariter viuentium, of the wicked of the world, in nEphes. 2. 2.whom he ruleth and worketh, as yelding to his suggestions. It is not Satans power that makes him a god, and a prince, but only the weaknesse of the wicked, admitting him as a lord of mis-rule; for, he (saith oRom. 6. 16.Paul) is our master to whom we submit our selues as seruants. Christ is the Lord of heauen and earth by a threefold right, pBernard. lib. 3. deconsiderat.iure creationis, merito redemptionis, dono patris: but the deuill is god of this world only (quoth Aquine) imitatione, because the wicked of this world are his followers, as hauing their qEphes. 4. 18.vnderstanding darkned, and their minds blinded, and hearts hardned thorough his entising temptations. And so Paul in this present epistle chap. 11. vers. 3. I feare least as the serpent beguiled Eue thorough his subtletie; so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicitie that is in Christ. The Gospell is a glasse wherein we may behold Christ; and Christ is an rHeb. 1. 3.expresse character and image of God, as himselfe said, sIohn 14. 9.he that hath seene me, hath seene my father, and this is eternall life to know God, and whom he hath sent Iesus Christ, Iohn 17. 3. If then thou heare the word often, and yet continue still in vnbeleife, the fault is not in God or his Gospell, but in thy selfe and Sathan, who blinds the minds of such as are lost, &c.
We preach not our selues] tCaluin. Marlorat. Piscator.least he should be thought arrogant in commending his sedulous and sincere preaching, he confesseth humbly that himselfe and his fellowes were not principall agents in their conuersion, but instrumentall only; Christ is the Lord, and we your seruants for his sake, for it is God that commands the light to shine out of darknesse, which hath shined in our hearts, for to giuegive the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. And we hauehave this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellencie of that power might be of God, and not of vsus. See epistle 3. Sun. in Aduent, and 1. in Lent.
This scripture may be tearmed aptly manipulus Curatorum; 1. Instructing all such as hauehave cure of soules to be diligent in their ministrie, considering the worthinesse of their function, and the goodnesse of God in making them u1. Tim. 3. 2.apt to teach, and in calling them vntounto such an high office. 2. To be rather solide then subtle, preaching plainly to the conscience. 3. To be humble, x1. Pet. 5. 3.not as though they were lords ouer Gods heritage, but in meeknesse of spirit, behauing themselues as seruants for Iesus sake.