Daily Sermons Upon Jonah, Exposition 1
Verſ. 1 ¶The Elder to the Elect Lady and her Childrē, whom I louelove in the truth: and not I alone, but alſo all that hauehave knowne the truth.
Imlerus.THe Elder to the Elect Ladye. This is the inſcription or tytle of the Epiſtle which ſheweth fyrſt, the office of the wryter, and ſecondly, conteyneth the name or dignitie of her, to whome the Epiſtle was written. The word Elder in this place is not referred to age, but rather, firſt to integritie of minde, ſecondly, honeſtie of manners, and thirdly, excellencie of erudition.Bul. Peli. The Pope diſdeyneth to be a Biſhoppe or a miniſter, but he wyll be a monarche a Pope, a God in earth. &c. Luk. 22.25. For all theſe thinges that Name Preſbyteros, Senior, Elder, doth comprehende. Of the which reade more, Acts. 20.17. and .1. Tim. 5.17. They which thinke this Epiſtle to be wrytten by the Apoſtle Iohn, affirme that he vſed this name for modeſtie ſake, againſt the hartineſſe of our Elders, in expreſſing their tytles, whome the name of a Miniſter and Biſhoppe doth ſo diſpleaſe, that they muſt be called Popes high Prieſts, & chiefe Monarches of Chriſtian pietie. When as yet Chriſt the Lorde of all ſayde to his Diſciples. The kings of the Gentiles raigne ouer them, and they that beare rule ouer them, are called bountifull. But ye ſhall not be ſo: but let the greateſt among you be as the leaſt, and he which is chiefe, as he which miniſtreth.
Iohn alſo might be called Elder by a figure called Antonomaſia, among the Apoſtles. Of wome (as ſome thinke) none remained alyue, beſide this Elect & beloued diſciple of Chriſt. And then alſo the Seniors or Elders gouerned the Congregation, being famous men of an approued faith, & honorable perfection, full of the holie ghoſt, which by word & examples ruled the Churche. But this is the opinion of thoſe men,Marlorat. which affyrme Iohn the Euangeliſt to be the wryter of this preſent Epiſtle. They which thinke otherwiſe, referre the name Elder to the office of teaching, as it is already fayde. He calleth her alſo to whome he wryteth Elect. Oec. Imlerus. Oecum.Eyther by reaſon of her name, or of her great emulation, or ſtudy about vertue. To this alſo he ſéemeth to adde the tytle of Ladie, that he might ſhewe the profite of this Woman,Note the ſtudy of ſome Ladies in thoſe daies, not to ouercome modeſtie, but to follow vertue & the worde of God. 1 Cor. 15.17 Marlorat in the worde of God, who nowe through the victorie of our Lorde Ieſus Christ, beganne to be a Lady ouer death, ſinne, the Diuell and hell, and might ſaye with Saint Paul: Death is ſwalowed vp in the victorie. O death where is thy ſtyng? O hell where is thy victorie? The ſtinge of death is ſinne, the ſtrength of ſinne is ye law: but thanks be to God, which hath geuen vsus victorie, through our Lord Ieſus Chriſt. 1. Cor. 15. & .57. The beginning of this victory doeth that word, which he vſeth, euen ye Elect Ladie, alſo declared vntounto vsus, if the word Elect be taken in the proper ſignification thereof, to the entent to admoniſh vsus of that eternall election of the ſonnes of God:Imlerus as if the wryters of the Epiſtle ſhoulde ſaye: God almightie woulde hauehave thée receyued into the number of his predeſtinated and Elected chyldren. Of the which thing, Paul verie notablie preacheth, ſaying: But we ought to geue thankes to God alway for you brethren beloued of the Lord,2. Theſ. 2 13. becauſe that God hath choſen you to ſaluation from the beginning, through the ſanctification of the ſpirit, and the faith of trueth, whervnto he called you by our Goſpell, to obtaine the glorie of our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt.
Marlorat. The familie of louelove will hauehave all the ſcriptures interpreted by Allegories.And her children. There be ſome which by this Ladye wyll hauehave the Church vnderſtanded, and by her Sonnes or Chyldren, the lytle ones, or thoſe which are weake, and which are in the Churche begotten by the fayth of Ieſus Chriſte: but this expoſition is racked. For to what ende ſhoulde the Author of the Epiſtle ſaye, that he woulde ſhortlie ſpeake in the preſence of the Ladie, to whome he wryteth, vnleaſt he meant ſome certaine perſon? Nowe he addeth:Verſe. 12 Which is true Chriſtian louelove? that which is voyde of Hyppo. Oecumenius. 1. Ioh. 3.18 Marlorat Rom. 12.9 VVhome I louelove in the trueth, By which wordes he ſignifieth, what maner of thing true & Chriſtian louelove is; euen that truelie which is moſt voyde of all hypocriſie. For to louelove with mouth faynedlie, oftentimes commeth to paſſe: euen as it is noted in ye fiirſt Epiſtle of Iohn: where he ſaide, Litle children let vsus not louelove in worde, neither in tongue onelie, but in deede and trueth. And Paul ſayde: Let louelove be without diſſimulation. Peter alſo ſpeaketh of it thus: You which hauehave purified your ſoules in obeying the trueth through the ſpirite, to louelove brotherlie without fayning: LoueLove one another with a pure harte feruently: being borne anew, not of mortal ſeede, but of immortal, by the word of God, who liueth and remaineth for euer. It foloweth. And not I alone. 1. Pet. 1.22.Great is the concorde and friendſhippe among the ſonnes of God. For ſeeing they all are dyrected by one ſpirit, euen of Chriſt, it is not poſſible but that they holde mutuall amitie betwéene them ſelues, and embrace all thoſe which according to the meaſure of the grace geuen vntounto them, doo ſtudie to further the glorie of Chriſt alone. The diſtaunce therefore of place, or diuerſitie of tongues, or their diuers eſtates nothing at all let, but that this moſt excellent louelove, among them maye floriſh: Chriſtian profeſſion and fame of name alone hath moſt ſurelie ioyned them together, in ſuch ſort, that oftentymes one of them reioyce of another, whome yet they neuer ſawe. So Paul hearing of the fayth of the Romanes, deſyred ardentlie to ſée them.Rom. 1.10.11, VntoUnto whome alſo he commendeth Priſca and Aquila after this ſorte: Gréete Priſcila and Aquila, my felow helpers in Chriſt Ieſus, which for my lyfe hauehave layde downe their owne necke: vntounto whom not I onelie geue thankes, but alſo all the Churches of the Gentiles. It foloweth. But alſo al that hauehave knowne the trueth. Rom. 16, 3It is a Periphraſis, or Circumlocution of the Chriſtians. For properly they are ſayde to knowe the truth, vntounto whom Chriſt which is the truth is reuealed moreouer this knowledge in the faythfull is not ydell, but liuely and occupied.Iohn. 14.9 For they doo not onelyonly hould that which is true, but they both louelove it and followe it. And for certainty, ſythe the knowledge of God and the knowledge of the truth is one: it cannot be, that they which are indued with the knowledge of the truth doo not conforme themſelues to the true preſcript or ordinaunce thereof. For they know that ſaying of Iohn: Hereby are we ſure that we hauehave knowne him, if wée kéepe his commaundements. He that ſayth I know him,1 Ioh. 2.3. and kéepeth not his commaundements, is a lyar and the truth is not in him. Paul alſo ſpeaketh thus of the knowledge of Chriſt: you hauehave not ſo learned Chriſt: if ſo be you hauehave heard him, and hauehave bene taught by him, as the truth is in Ieſus, that is: that ye caſt of,Ephe. 4.21 concerning the conuerſation in tyme paſte, that oulde man, whiche is corrupt through the deceyuable luſtes and be renewed in the ſpirite of your mynde &c. Out of the which words we learne, that in vaine doo all they boſt of the knowledg of the truth, which endeuour not themſelues to newneſſe of lyfe.