Exposition of John, Chapter 8 · Verse 18
Verſe 33. They anſwered him, We be Abrahams ſeed, and were never in bondage to any man, how ſayeſt thou, Ye ſhall be made free?
The contentious Jewes do here again interpoſe, And, 1. They debate about th…ir freedome and parentage, and Chriſt refutes their conceits, to verſe 48. 2. They fall a railing at his perſon, and contradict what he aſſerts of himſelf, and he doth vindicate himſelf and his doctrine, verſe 48, — 58. 3. They joyne violence with their railing, which he avoids, verſe 59 I ſhall take up the method and parts of the firſt branch of this debate in this order. 1. They excepting againſt the immediately preceeding doctrine, and boaſting of their own freedome, as being Abrahams children, verſe 33. Chriſt cleareth what is the great bondage of men, and how to be free from it, verſe 34, 35, 36. And ſhoweth, that their being Abrahams ſeed after the fleſh, could not avail, ſince their malicious carriage and contempt of his divine Word, did evidence they had another original and Father, verſe 37, 38. 2. They again laying claime to their deſcent from Abraham; he ſheweth that in their carriage they were not like him, and ſo behooved to father themſelves upon another in that reſpect, verſe 39, 40, 41, — And, 3. When they (perceiving that he ſpake not of their carnal deſcent, but of their ſpiriual original) do aſſert that God is their Father, verſe —41. Chriſt evinceth the contrary from their want of love to him, verſe 42. and from their not underſtanding his preaching, verſe 43. And aſſerteth that they are of Satan, whom they imitate in lying and murdering, verſe 44.… 45. For he being ſinleſſe and a true teacher, ver. 26. their not hearkning nor beleeving in him, did evince that they were not of God, verſe 47.
In this verſe ſome Jewes (not they who beleeved, but others) do except againſt his former doctrine alledging that they being Abrahams children, and having never been in bondage to any man, it was needleſſe to feed them with hopes of being made free. As for the grounds of their objection, it is nothing ſtrange to ſee them deluded with a conceit of being Abrahams children, but it may ſeem ſtrange they ſhould ſay, they were never in bondage, when yet they were bond-men in Egypt and in Babylon, and frequently, and at this time they were under the power of the Romans. But we are to conceive that either they ſtood not upon an an impudent lie, to make good their point; or, their meaning is, that however they were actually in bondage, yet by right, and according to the promiſe, they were free, and expected to be vindicate into outward liberty by the M…ſſiah, and therefore they would not willingly take with being in a condition of bondage. Doctrine 1. Such as would embrace Chriſt and a courſe of godlineſſe, may expect that, beſide tentations and diſcouragements from within, they will meet with oppoſitions and ſhakings without, from theſe who cannot endure that any ſhould be better then themſelves; for, here theſe Jewes fall a carping at Chriſts offers, that they may diſcourage theſe beginners. See Matth. 23.13. 2. M…n, in oppoſing of Chriſts offers, are very ſubtil, and will be prompted by Satan to manage it ſo, ſo as may render them moſt invidious; for, ſo it appears in theſe men, who do not at all meddle with what he ſpake of the truth, but onelyonly with the point of liberty, as knowing it was moſt invidious to inſinuate to this people, who gloried ſo much in their liberty, that they were in bondage. 3. The moſt part of men are ſo carnal and blinde, that they ſee no farther then their outſide, and their outward condition, and ſo neglect their inward ſpiritual eſtate; for this was the occaſion of all their ca…ping, that they underſtand Chriſt to ſpeak onelyonly of bodily freedome and bondage, as knowing no other, as appears from the reſt of their diſcourſe. 4. Albeit ſpiritual bondage be in it ſelf ſo ſad and heavy, that to be free of it, might make all other bondage imaginable, look like freedome; Yet ſuch is the blindneſſe of men, that it is but little or not at all known or diſcerned, and they live in their bonds with as much delight as fiſhes have in their own element; for, this, in particular, was the point they were ignorant of, as knowing and feeling no ſuch bondage, and therefore carped at his doctrine. 5. Mens carnal apprehenſions of their own condition, or of Chriſts offer, or both, is a great cauſe wherefore they undervalue him and his offers, as a thing they ſtand in no deed of; for, ſo do theſe men carp at his offer to ſtumble theſe weak beginners, alledging that his offer of freedome was no great encouragement, ſince they needed it not. 6. Albeit Chriſts offers be never ſo undeniably rich, yet the way of offering and confering of his favours is ready to be a ſtumbling-block, while men cannot endure to have them by free gift, or as beſtowed on them who are miſerable without them; for, ſo much alſo may be obſerved here, they do not carp ſimply at his offer of freedome in it ſelf, liberty being ſo deſirable, but that they ſhould be made free. They do not indeed deſire to be ſervants or ſlaves, but free men, onelyonly they deſire to have their freedome natural, and not adventitious, they would be free-borne, and not made free. And this holds generally true in all his offers; men can have nothing to except againſt the riches of Gods favour, grace, and righteouſneſſe, onelyonly their natural pride cannot endure to have theſe things by free gift, to have them in, and by another, and not of themſelves, &c. And thus is it (however they palliate it) that makes ſelf-condemned ſinners ſtand out ſo long, before they cloſe with Chriſts offers, and ſubmit to the righteouſneſſe of God. 7. Mens external priviledges, in being born of religious parents and members of the Church, do oft-times prove a great ſtumbling-block to themſelves, hindering them from ſeeing their need of Chriſts offers, and from cloſing with them; for, they lay this as a ground to all their exceptions and their deſpiſing of his offer, We be Abrahams ſeed. 8. Such as do oppoſe Chriſt and his truth, are ordinarily ſo void of conſcience and awe of God, that they will make no ſcruple of impudent lies, ſo they may therby gain their point; And maintainets of truth ſhould lay their account for ſuch encounters and oppoſition; for, ſo much doth their ſecond exception, (and were never in bondage to any man) according to the firſt interpretation, teach. 9. While men are puft up with carnal dreames of their own priviledges and worth, and with carnal expectations of great things to be done for them; they will not attain to the right uſe of any condition they are put under by God; for, ſo much farther do theſe words, as they are explained, teach. They were ſo much taken up wi…h the imagination that they had right to be free men, and would be aſſerted into liberty, that albeit the Lord had ſent all their captivities, to teach them to underſtand theſe priviledges ſpiritually; Yet they would never be driven from their own conceits, nor would ſo much as hear of their own bondage. And therefore they made no right uſe of their afflictions; but all their care was how to get out of them, till the Lord made their attempting thereof prove their ruine at laſt.