Fruitful Lessons Upon the Passion Burial Resurrection Ascension, resurrection · Commentary 10
Doctrine and fruite.
FOR as much as Peter had taken a ſpeciall greeuous fall, Chriſt lifteth him vp with a ſpeciall comforte: but ſo, that hee ſetteth forth vntounto all Shepheards of his ſheepe, what theyr office is Peter had many ſinnes forgiuen him,Luk. 7. therefore was it meete that hee ſhould louelove the Lord the more. And ſeeing hee had thriſe denied, hee maketh nowe a three-fold confeſſion: ſo that now the ſong doth no leſſe ſeruice vntounto louelove, than it ſerued feare afore. Chriſt ſheweth him that hee is receiued againe vntounto grace, ſo that hee may ſafely put his truſt in him, ſeeing he committeth vntounto him his owne ſheepe. As if Chriſt would ſay: As for thy deniall, I will no more remember it. And for an euidence hereof, I put thee in truſt to keepe my ſheepe: In no wiſe doe I refuſe thee, but a ſhepheard of my ſheepe will I make thee. Neither doth he caſt him in the teeth with his deniall, but ſaith: If thou louelove mee, then take vppon thee the care of the brethren. The louelove that thou haſt willed to declare vntounto mee in all thinges, and wherein I delight, the ſame declare thou now vntounto my ſheepe, whom I ſo dearely hauehave bought. Thy life that thou wouldeſt hauehave offered for mee, giuegive nowe for my ſheepe. Now to the intent Peter ſhould not ſay that hee were expelled from the Apoſt…eſhip through his deniall, the Lorde therefore giueth him a new commiſſion to keepe his ſheepe. As for Peter, hee was no more ſo raſh and fooliſh hardie, but anſwereth more aduiſedly than afore, and taketh the Lord to witnes: for hee remembreth how it had happened vntounto him alreadie, therefore ſtandeth hee not arrogantly in his owne conceite, neyther ſpeaketh hee agaynſt the Lorde, ſo wittie and circumſpect is hee become thorough the fall.
Arrogant had hee beene and high minded, and therefore through the denyall he fell very ſore. But his weeping through faith and ſure confidence purifieth him againe, and in louelove he becommeth more feruent, pondering, that much is forgiuen him: ſo that where ſinne was great, grace is more abundant and plentifull. Rom. 5.
In Peter is the office of the other Apoſtles, and of all preachers of the worde deſcribed: for heere may wee ſee, who are meet to be called to guide the people, and what care and diligence they ought to take for them.
But here principally we muſt note this, that Chriſt minding to ſtabliſh his ſpeciall excellent doctrine, did euer firſt worke a notable token and miracle. As when he fed the fiue thouſand men with few loaues, he taught immediatly vponupon the ſame,Iohn. 6. how wee muſt bee ſuſtained with the bread of heauen. Euen ſo here when the Diſciples had taken a great heape of fiſhes at Chriſtes commaundement, and were afterward fedde of him, hee tolde them immediately vponupon the ſame, what their office is, and that they ſhould looke, euen ſo to nouriſh and feede thoſe that are committed vntounto them. This was ſpoken vntounto Peter, and in him to all others.
Chriſt who ſearcheth and knoweth all harts, doth not aske this queſtion as one ignorant, or as one that firſt would proue & learne, but to teach faith, and to declare it vntounto others. Such a queſtion demaundeth he. Math. 16. Whō ſay the people that the ſon of man is? ſhewing therby what confeſſion & faith he requireth of thoſe that are his. Euen ſo here: the ſchoolemaiſter of the whole world, minding to put them in truſt, wil declare vntounto them with this queſtion, how they ought to be, and the ſame wil hee print ſure into them with this threefold interrogation. Here alſo will the Lord teach, how neceſſary it is, that he who is to be made a ſhepheard & teacher of chriſtian people, be firſt well knowne, proued and tried, & that in many things afore-hand he bee found faithfull. It is not requiſite to take children vntounto ſuch an office, but ſuch godly and apt men, as hauehave beene tried & tempted: namely, ſuch men as hauehave proued, ſuffered and felt ſomwhat by experience, wherby they hauehave learned humilitie and nurture.
The firſt thing that Chriſt in his examination requireth of thoſe, which muſt guide the people, is a great, feruent, and notable louelove to GOD. Without this louelove ſhall ſoule ſhepheardes doo no good. This louelove to GOD, ſhall bring with it louelove towardes the ſheepe committed vntounto them. For as much then as at this day the louelove of Chriſt is ſo greatly quenched, therefore are manie Curates and ſoule ſhepheardes ſo faint and colde to preach and teach Chriſt. They burne not in the louelove of God againſt vice, they print not vertue and godlineſſe feruently into the people, for there is no louelove of Gods name in them. Seeing then that they hauehave no heauenly zeale vntounto the glorie of GOD, and to the amplyfiyng of his name, it is no maruaile that their preaching is ſo cold and vnfruitfull.
Therfore ſaith our Sauiour Chriſt vntounto Peter: Agapas me? Loueſt thou mee? For Agapao among the Greeks ſignifieth, feruently, earneſtly, & right hartily to louelove: yea to louelove with a great good will. And this word he vſeth in the two firſt queſtions. In the third queſtion he ſaith: Phileis me? Loueſt thou me? Phileo ſignifieth ſo to louelove, that one be louing to another, & ſhew him friendſhip: therefore doth Peter take the Lorde himſelfe to witneſſe. As for the high excellent louelove, hee dare not bragge of it, but ſaith: Philoſe: which is as much to ſay, as, I hauehave hitherto doone all that becommeth a friend to do. If any derogation or hinderance bee done to thy honour and name, I am hartily ſorie for it: as a friend is iuſtly greeued, if his friend be vilely intreated.
Thus the Lorde with the three queſtions layeth hard vntounto Peter: for a notable louelove is it that hee requireth of thoſe, to whom he committeth his ſheepe in his abſence. Peter had a good conſcience, & knew no falſhood or deceite by himſelfe, but bare a notable and feruent louelove vntounto Chriſt: yet by reaſon of his former fall, and this oft queſtioning, he was partly out of quiet, fearing leaſt peraduenture there laye yet hid in him ſome ſecret thing, that diſpleaſed the Lord, or were againſt him, or that happily he ſhould not ſtand in ſuch fauour with Chriſt. Therefore ſaid he: Lord, thou knoweſt all things, thou knoweſt the harts of all men, and woteſt, that I beare thee a good heart, and friendly mind: which wordes proceed of a meeke feruent hart. Chriſt knoweth better how we louelove him, than we our ſelues. Thus a ſhepheard oght to hauehave an ardent louelove vntounto Chriſt, and yet not to ſtand high in his owne conceit, or to bragge of himſelfe, although he louelove, and bee garniſhed with vertues more than other men.
Wherein may it bee perceiued, that a ſoule ſhepheard loueth Chriſt, and is his friend? Verely in louing his ſheepe which Chriſt hath cōmitted to him. Therefore ſaith Chriſt alway vponupon the ſame: Feede my ſheep. But Chriſt vſeth here two diſtinct words. Firſt he ſaith: Voſce, that is, feed them, paſture them, fodder them. Secondly, he ſaith: Poimene, that is, bee thou vntounto them a heardman, take thou care for them as it beſeemeth a ſhepheard: be thou a ſhepheard vntounto my ſheepe, keepe them from the wolfe, & from al ſuch hurt. Firſt, he requireth of him a feruent louelove, then committeth hee his ſheepe vntounto him, a treaſur… great & deare, redeemed & bought with the pretious bloud of Chriſt. As if he would ſay: If thou louelove me declare the ſame in care and louelove toward my ſheep, whom I commit to thy charge.
The ſheepe are Chriſtes, not the ſhepheards. As forſuch ſhepheards as keepe them ſo, that they make them hang vponupon themſelues, thoſe louelove themſelues, not Chriſt. They that ſeeke their owne glorie, profit, and lucre among them, are not faithfull ſhepheards. Againſt ſuch doth crie the threefold voice of Chriſt: Feed & keepe my ſheepe: mine (ſaith he) not thine. Feed them, oppreſſe them not, flay them not: Feede them not thy ſelfe: Seeke my glorie, not thine own.Phil. 3. For ſome there bee, which (as Paule with weeping teares complaineth) that ſeeke themſelues, not the glorie of Ieſus Chriſt. Of theſe ſpake Paule alſo afore. 2. Timoth. 3. Men ſhall be louers of themſelues, couetous, &c. Where the wicked roote of ſelfe louelove is in a Curate, there followe all the vices which hee in the ſame place maketh mention of. Who ſo nowe will bee a louer of Chriſt, and a faythfull ſhepheard page missing ſciences, that they may be fruitfull and comfortable to the whole Chriſtian congregation. If this might come to paſſe, then ſhould there be no lacke of wiſe counſellors and actiue men, profitable to be in common authoritie: and alſo amongſt chriſtian people, there ſhuld be found men meet to be made ouer-ſeeers in the miniſtery of Gods word, with which men the people ſhould be wel & worthily prouided for.
Good vertuous teachers bring foorth a vertuous and godlie people. And doubtleſſe, the meaning of thoſe that gaue ſuch goodes to monaſteries & churches, was at the firſt, that they thoght therby to ſerue God, and to doe good vntounto the poore. If ſuch goods then as heeretofore hauehave beene euill beſtowed, bee now profitably and bleſſedly turned to the honour of God, and commoditie of the whole Church, then is the laſt will and meaning of the founders fulfilled. They alſo that muſt pay ſuch rentes, tithes, & goods, will be the readier ſo to doe, if they ſee, that the ſame is well and profitably beſtowed. Then ſhall not they vntruly, but faithfully performe and pay all thinges, when they conſider that they doe ſeruice vntounto God himſelfe.
Graunt vsus all (O God) to harken and be obedient vntounto the voice of true ſhepheards: and giuegive vsus hearts to hauehave in great honour, and worthily to eſteeme of ſuch faithfull ſhepheards as vppon earth are thy Miniſters and ſtewards, by whome and in whome thou ſpeakeſt to vsus, and with vsus: that wee ſhewing vntounto them all reuerence and honour which they be worthie of for thy ſake, may giuegive them honeſt liuinges; and conſider, howe that Chriſt thy ſonne our Lorde teacheth the ſame, Math. 10. and Paule thy ſeruaunt. 1. Cor. 9. Reaſon it is, ſeeing they ſow ſpiritual things vntounto vsus, that they of vsus reape thinges corporall. O Lord, remooue away the contempt of thy woorde and miniſters, for the ſame neuer eſcaped without great puniſhment and harme.
IESVS ſaid vntounto Peter: verely verilie I ſay vntounto thee: When thou wast young, thou girdest thy ſelfe, and wenteſt whither thou wouldeſt: but when thou art olde, thou ſhalt ſtretch out thine hand, and another ſhal gird thee, and lead thee thither as thou wouldeſt not. This hee ſaid, ſignifyng with what death he ſhould glorifie God. And when he had ſpoken this, he ſaid: follow me.