Exposition of John, Chapter 8 · Verse 31
Ver. 52. Then ſaid the Jewes unto him, Now we know that thou haſt a devil. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets: and thou ſayeſt, If a man keep my ſaying, he ſhall never taſte of death.
53. Art thou greater then our Father Abraham which is dead? and the Prophets are dead: whom makeſt thou thy ſelfe?
In theſe verſes, they repeat their blaſphemy, and think themſelves confirmed in it, and that they have him at a ſeen advantage in what he laſt ſpake; For whereas he had ſaid, they ſhould never ſee death who keep his ſayings, they think that many wayes abſurd, and reflecting upon himſelf. For, 1. Then certainly Abraham and the Prophets were n…ne of his diſciples, for they are all dead. Nay, 2. …e behoved to be very arrogant, who made himſelfe greater then Abraham and the Prophets, in that he aſcribes a quickening vertue to his Word, not only in reſpect of himſelf, but his hearers alſo. Whereas they not only kept not others alive, but are dead themſelves. Doctrine 1. Wicked men will be as little taken with Chriſts promiſes, as they are terrified with his threatnings; And they deſire rather to have ſome what to carp at in them, then to be drawn by the ſweetneſſe thereof to embrace them; for, they rage as much here at his ſweet promiſe, as they did formerly at his ſharp chalenges. 2. As wicken men do reproach Chriſt out of malice, and all the arguments they pretend, are but invented to cover their malice; So they will ſometime be forced to bewray themſelves that it is ſo: for, ſay they, now we know that thou haſt a devil, and if but now they know it, why ſaid they it before▪ Certainly, all the arguments they bring ſo…th, were but invented to colour that reſolution, which they had laid down to reproach Chriſt. 3. Miſtakes of Chriſt, and underſtanding of his doctrine in a carnal ſenſe, gives occaſion to perſecutors of many cavils; for, upon theſe grounds doth their exception run, wherein they glory ſo much. They think it abſurd enough, if they can infer from his diſcourſe, that he makes himſelf greater then Abraham and the Prophets, which yet is the very truth; and they miſtake him as if he were ſpeaking of the firſt death, when he is ſpeaking of the ſecond death 4. Chriſts enemies do falſely pretend to be honourers of the Saints, that they may bear him down; for, ſo do they here cry up Abraham and the Prophets, to make him odious. 5. Albeit Saints be truly excellent, yet they have no priviledge againſt bodily death, but muſt pay that debt; partly, to be a teſtimony that they are by nature heires to the firſt Adam, and do carry a body of corruption about with them while they are in the world; and partly, that they may be tranſlated to a better life; for, even Abraham and the Prophets, whom they cry up as ſingular, are dead. 6. Such as do in a carnal way over-value the Saints, they prejudge Chriſt of his glory and due eſtimation; for, ſo did they by their exceſſive commendation of them, Art thou greater then our father Abraham, &c. And this diſeaſe is more frequent, not onelyonly in them who ſet them up in Chriſts roome, to be ſharers with him, in leaving merits to be made uſe of by the Church, and in being Mediatours of interceſſion; but in them alſo who doat ſo much on Saints, as they forget to give Chriſt the glory of any excellency that is in them, and who implicitly follow them, not conſidering whether they be following Chriſt in that wherein they follow them, or not. 7. Chriſt is truly ſingular and matchleſſe, and if all the Saints were put together, they are all nothing to him, and he can do that which they cannot all do; for, this (together with the clearing of their miſtake of what he ſpake concerning death) is the clear anſwer to all their cavil, that indeed he is greater then all of them put together.