Exposition of John, Chapter 1 · Verse 15
Ver. 19. And this is the record of John, when the Jewes ſent Prieſts and Levites from Jeruſalem, to aske him, Who art thou?
20. And he confeſſed and denied not: but confeſſed, I am not the Chriſt.
21. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? and he ſaid, I am not, Art thou that Prophet? And he anſwered. No.
Johns ſecond teſtimony after the Baptiſme of Chriſt, was given upon occaſion of Commiſſioners ſent unto him from the Councel at Jeruſalem and expreſſed in way of conference betwixt them and him; Wherein, being poſed concerning his perſon and authority, he declares negatively that he was neither the Meſſiah, nor Elijah in proper perſon; nor that great Prophet they expected, ver. 19, 20, 21. Next, being further poſed, he declareth poſitively that he was Chriſts forerunner, of whom Iſaiah had forepropheſied, ver. 22, 23. Thirdly, being further interrogate concerning his office and adminiſtration of Baptiſme, he cleareth them in that, ver. 24, 25, 26, 27 Laſtly, the Apoſtle John ſubjoyneth the circumſtance of place where this teſtimony was given. ver, 28.
From theſe verſes wherein he declareth what he was not, Learn. 1. Church Judicatories for managing of Chriſts matters, and for trial of new doctrines and opinions, are an approven Ordinance of God: And ſuch as are entruſted with that power, ought to go very gravely and tenderly to work, when providence puts them upon the trial of any ſuch emergent; for, theſe in Jeruſalem, from whom theſe Commiſſioners came, were their great Councel appointed of old by God for theſe matters; And their carriage in not condemning John untried and unheard, and their uſing of him reſpectively, in ſending grave men for deſcent, office (land of their moſt eminent ſect alſo, as appears ver. 24.) to him, are rules of prudence, in ſuch procedure, worthy of imitation. 2. In a corrupt and declining time of the Church, ordinarily the teachers are furtheſt out of courſe, and are not with the firſt to enquire after Chriſt, but behind many; for, notwithſtanding all Johns doctrine before Chriſts Baptiſme, yet it is after that ere the Councel of Jeruſalem enquire after him or it, and but to little purpoſe then either, as the ſequel ſheweth. 3. Whatever be the purpoſes of corrupt men in enquiring after, or debating about truth; yet God can make uſe thereof to bring out more of his truth, and give occaſion to his ſervants, to publiſh it yet more; for, though theſe came rather to quarrel and jangle, then to be edified; yet it drew out a record of John, which is of uſe to the Church in all ages. 4. It is not onelyonly requiſite that new doctrines be tried and examined, but the authority of men who publiſh the ſame, not upon an ordinary call, nor in an ordinary way, is ſubject to trial alſo, and that in the firſt place; for, their firſt queſtion (which John holds himſelf bound to anſwer) is, who art thou? intimating, that if he were not an authorized perſon, he was bound to ceaſe. 5. It is the duty of truly godly men to walke reſpectively toward Church Judicatories appointed of God, even when ſuch as bear ſway in them are corrupt: nor ought they deny a teſtimony to the truth when they are called to it, and ſo long as there is any hope or appearance of doing good by it; for, John, though he was an extraordinary man, yet is content to give an account to the Commiſſioners of that corrupt Councel, ſeeing they ſate in Moſes chair; and by this means he doth confirme the truth for the good of others. 6. Viſible Churches and Councels, even ſuch as have moſt peculiar priviledges, may erre, and have erred; And that particularly, when they look more to tradition, then to Scripture; for, theſe inſtructions do clear the Councel of Jeruſalem to have erred, in that they ſuppoſe the Meſſiah could be come (as Johns anſwer to their firſt queſtion underſtands them) without a forerunner; In that they dreamed (following tradition) that Elijah was to come in proper perſon (for in that ſenſe onelyonly John denieth that he was Elijah, though otherwiſe he was he, as coming in the ſpirit and power of Elijah, Matth. 11.14. Luke 1.17.) And, in that they dreamed from Deut. 18.15, 18. of any ſingular Prophet to be raiſed up after the ſucceſſion of Prophets in the Old Teſtament, in the time of the Meſſiah, beſide the Meſſiah himſelf, to whom that paſſage is applied, Acts 3.22. and ſo John denieth that alſo, though otherwiſe he was a Prophet of the Higheſt, Luke 1.76. 7. As Gods ſervants in all their Teſtimonies ought to be plain, bold, affectionate, ingenuous and conſtant; ſo in particular, they ought to be ingenuous and fervent in renouncing the honour due to their Maſter, not ſleeing from it for the faſhion onelyonly, that it may follow them the faſter. Therefore he confeſſed, and denied not, but confeſſed I am not the Chriſt, not ſtanding on what they might do to him, not finding him to be ſo. 8. Such as come not to the Word to be edified, but to jangle and catch advantage, it is righteous with God to leave them lying in their errours and miſtakes, without clearings; Therefore, doth John not cleare their miſtakes concerning Elias, or the Prophet, nor clear in what ſenſe he was Elias, but nakedly anſwers their queſtions according to their apprehenſions of things.