First Epistle of John Applied Part 2, Sermon 5
SERM. 5.THE FIRST EPISTLE OF St. IOHN.
CHAP. I. Ver. 1.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life.
SUch is the transcendent worth of Christ, the word, that no words can declare it, of the word of life, that no tongue can set it forth to the life, of the life manifested, that no expressions can manifest it; and yet even in these very characters, much of the excellency of Christ is delineated before us, so that what the Psalmist said of Ierusalem, Glorious things are spoken of thee, Ps. 87.3.oh thou City of God, I may say of Christ as he is here represented, Glorious things are spoken of thee, oh thou Son of God; nor is there less verity than dignity in these sayings, that as the one cannot but attract our love, so the other may engage our faith; this holy Apostle, and the rest had good ground for, clear evidence, convincing proof of what they uttered; for it was no more than what sensible experience did assure them of, That which we have heard, &c.
It is that part of the Text I am now to handle,Part. 2. the commendation of the Gospel from certain tradition, as being that which the Apostles had heard, and had seen with their eyes, and their hands had handled of the word of life. Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established; so runs St. Pauls maxime, loe here no less than three witnesses, to wit, three sences, hearing, 2 Cor. 13.1.seeing, handling, produced by St. Iohn, to assert the truth of what he writeth:Auribus audiere, oculis videre salutem, tractavere manu corpus de morte receptum. Tertul contr. Marc. l. c. 7. Prius audierint, quia Dominus resurrexit, postea vero oculis in spexerunt, & contractarunt pedes & manus & latus ejus. Didym. Ioh. …0.27. Luc. 24 39. …er. in loc. some Expositors restrain it particularly to the resurrection, of which the Apostles first heard by Mary Magdalen, afterwards they saw him themselves, and one of them handled him, putting his hand into his side, yea Christ bids them all to see and handle him; indeed the special work of the Apostles, was to be witnesses of the resurrection, and therefore it is not improbable that St. Iohn might have a singular eye to it, but yet we shall do best to take Scripture in the fullest latitude, and so refer this, ad totam verbi incarnati oeconomiam, to the whole oeconomy of the word incarnate; thus according to the several wayes whereby Christ was pleased to manifest himself to them, he was heard, seen, and handled by them: he manifested himself in flesh, and so was handled; in his miracles, and so was seen; in his words, and so was heard.
That we may the better understand, both the intent, and extent of these phrases, let us consider them severally.
1. That which we have heard of the word of life; it is a clause which admits of several references. To Moses and the Prophets, that which we have heard out of their writings concerning the Messiah, foreign. Oecumen. Hug.for it is mentioned of both, that they were read in the Iewish synagogues every Sabbath-day, whither the Apostles often repaired.
2. To the Scribes and Pharisees, that which we have heard from their mouths in their expositions upon Moses and the Prophets, the Pharisees themselves preached those things concerning the Messiah that were fulfilled in him, and so against their wills gave testimony to him whom they rejected.
3. To Iohn the Baptist, that which we heard from him, who was Christs harbenger to go before him,Lyr. and pointed at him with an ecce, Behold the Lamb of God.
4. To the voyce from heaven, that which we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. 2 Pet. 1.17, 18.This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, the Father himself by this extraordinary way testifying of him.
5. Or lastly, (and as I conceive most suitably to the Apostles meaning) to Christ himself, that which we heard from his own mouth, for so it seemeth to be expounded at the fifth verse, the message that we heard of him, not from others at second hand,V. 5. Mat. 5.1. foreign Hoc in loco non significat, ex aliorum narratione aliquid accipere, sed suis auribus aliquid audire Bez. in loc. Audivimus non ab aliis sed ipsomet filio Dei, …ustin. ibid Aug de serm. Dom. in Mat. but immediately from his own lips; we read in the Gospel, that he opened his mouth and spake, and as generally to the multitude, so more especially to his disciples, unfolding to them the mysteries of the Kingdom, aperuit os suum qui prius aperuit or a prophetarum, he that opened the mouthes of the Prophets, at last openeth his own mouth, and oracula quasi auracula, those sacred oracles, which like hony drop'd from his lips, were distilled into their eares, who continually sate at his feet to receive instruction from him; nor was it a naked hearing which the Apostle here intends, but an hearing so, as to understand and believe; for it is such an hearing as put them upon declaring, which could not have been, unless they had understood, nor would have been, except they had believed themselves; this is that which perhaps the iteration of it at the third verse may insinuate, they heard, and heard, to wit, with the ear, and with the heart, and that is the right hearing, when there is internus fidei assensus, as well as externus auris auditus, Vide Lor. Did. in loc.an inward assent accompanying our outward attention; that which Christ spake to his disciples, he many times spake to many others; but as when the instrument sounds, a multitude hear it, yet only the musical eare understands and taketh delight in it; so onelyonly the Apostles heard with a divine religious ear, by which means it affected their hearts, and inclined them to declare and write that they had heard.
2. That which we have seen with our eyes, that which we have looked upon; The next sense, which is brought in as a witness, is their sight, and it is set forth with abundance of emphasis, to unfold which, observe the extensiveness of the object, and intensiveness of the act.
1. This that, the object is of a large extent, and may be taken in reference to both his natures, to wit, humane and divine.
1. The Apostles saw his humanity, beheld him a man, altogether like to themselves, sin onelyonly excepted, they saw him eating, drinking, walking, and thereby expressing the actions of an humane body; yea, they saw him in weariness, hunger, thirst, and so subject to the defects of our frail nature.
2. They saw his divinity, to wit, in the effects of it, those powerful miracles which were wrought by him; such works may well challenge our aspect. They saw him cleansing the Lepers, curing the sick, Vide Lorin: Lyrar: in loc.opening the eyes of the blind, the eares of the deaf, nay, raising the dead; and this, Interpreters conceive St. Iohn especially to aime at, expounding him by himself in the Gospel, where he saith, we saw his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth; yea,Ioh▪ 11 14: besides those miracles which he wrought among men whilest on earth, they saw his glorious transfiguration on the mount, his raising himself from the grave, and his wonderful ascending into heaven, when from mount Olivet a cloud received him out of their sight; all this, and what ever else conduced to declaring either his manhood, or his God-head may be very well comprehended in the foreign, that which we have seen.
2. The act is set forth with a great deal of advantage, to express the intensiveness of it. For
1. It is not barely that which we have seen, but that which we have seen with our eyes, an addition which may seem a foreign (since if we do see,Lorni. ibid. Chrysost. in Ps. 441. Efficax locutio non enim satis fuit, dicere vidimus sed addit oculis nostris. Grot▪ ibid. it must be with our eyes) but is indeed an foreign, since as Chrysostome well observeth concerning the like phrase of hearing with our eares, it is foreign, the usuall custome of men, when they assert any thing, whereof they are fully assured, and that to those, who by reason of the strangeness of it, may seem to doubt, to say, I heard it with these eares, I saw it with these eyes, and these hands handled it.
2. It is not once, but twice, nay, thrice expressed, as if there lay a great deal of weight in the evidence of this sence, as indeed there doth; and therefore that we may be assured they did see what they declared, it is not onelyonly mentioned so emphatically in the first verse, we have seen with our eyes; but again in the second, the life was manifested, and we have seen it; and yet again, ut dilucidior fieret sententia & cer…ior veritas, that the sentence which was obscured by the parenthesis, Zanch. in loc.might be made more plain by an Epanalepsis, and withall, that the truth of what is asserted, might appear more certain, it is repeated at the third verse, that which we have seen and heard.
foreign spec tare plus quam foreign videre Zanc.3. To express it yet more fully, here is another word added more significant than the former, which we have looked upon; it is the same with that which is used in the Gospel, we saw his glory, and there are severall things which it doth superadde▪Ioh. 1.14.
1. That they saw not onelyonly with bodily, but with mental eyes, they saw cu…m dijudicatione considering and judging what they saw, and which upon mature judgement was found to be as it appeared;Didym. in loc. Multa videmus oculis quae revocata ad judicium animi secus essent. Aret ibid. Sollicitam & sagacem inspectionem indicat. Iustinian. ib. for so Didimus referreth, seeing to the body, and looking on to the mind: Indeed this was it which differenced the Apostles from the rest of the beholders. Christ had many spectators of his person and works, but the great part onelyonly saw them with their eyes, but did not look upon them with their Judgements, so as to ponder and consider aright of them, and therefore were not converted by them; whereas the holy Apostles so saw, that they looked on with serious and deliberate inspection.
2. That what they saw, was not done privately in a corner, but to the open view, the word here used is the root of foreign, which signifieth a stage, or theater, and that you know is an open place,Act. 10.14. nothing more publick than that which is acted upon a stage. Thus it is said of him after his resurrection, that God shewed him openly, though not so openly as before, when he went about in several places, doing good, and working miracles, in the sight not▪ onelyonly of his Apostles, but the people.
3. That what they saw, was not a transient, but a continued sight; it was not one, but many miracles they beheld, not once, but often that they saw him; and therefore it was not probable they should be deceived: St. Luke saith, Christ was seen of his Apostles after the resurrection for 40. dayes, and before,Act. 1.3. Grot. in loc. for many years together; to this purpose is Grotius, his gloss upon the Text, diu multum que we frequently, constantly beheld the great things that were done by him.
4. Lastly, that they so saw as to believe, and believing to rejoyce, and rejoycing, to admire at those things▪ which they beheld. To this purpose is that of the Greek Scholiast, foreign. Oecumen.beholding with our eyes, we wondred at that we saw; for that the Greek word is used somtimes to signifie, to see a thing with admiration and amazement; indeed foreign quasi foreign, miracula spectacula; miracles are such sights as may well raise our admiration, at the beholding of them.Ipsa gradatio crescentium verborum valdè facit ad certitudinem. Illyr. No wanden that Christs wonders were seen with wonder. Besides.
3. And our hands have handled; The last of the senses, but not the least, nay, greatest in point of evidence, is that of handling. Nor is it unworthy our observation, how fit a gradation is here made;Pluris est unus oculatus testis, quam auriti de cem. Plaut. Trucul Ipse & auditus & visus & ne phantasma crederetur, tractatus. Tert. adv. prax. c. 15. Vide Aristot. de An. l. 2. text 94. Eos piè ad robur fidei invitabat ad tactū Sim. de Cass. l. 14. Luc. 24.39. Tertium sensum adjicit tactum nam is quoque intervenit tum alibi tum in panibus multiplicatis & Lazaro. Grot. ibid. the Apostle proceeding still higher and higher, he begins with hearing, as being that sense which is most capable of deception, from thence he riseth to that of seeing, which is more certain; one eye-witness being of more value than ten ear-witnesses: and yet because seeing might pretend ludibria oculorum, the eye might be subject to delusion, he addeth another sense, which as it is crassior, so it is certior, more gross, so it is most sure; asserting, that what he declared with his mouth, was that which not onelyonly his eare and eyes, but his hands gave testimony to. That one of the Apostles, namely, Thomas, did handle him with his hands, is expressed; and where it is said of this Apostle, that he leaned in his bosome, it implyeth that he handled him; nay, in as much as we find that the other Apostles did eate, drink, converse with him, nay, that he saith to them, handle and see; it is not improbably conceived, that they might all handle him, so much the rather considering that it is here affirmed by St. Iohn, not onelyonly of himself, but others; our hands have handled: nor doth this handling onelyonly refer to his person, but his miracles, the fishes and loaves which he gave them to feed so many thousands with, the dead bodies which he raised to life, whereby the reality and verity of his miracles did the more clearly appear to them.
There are onelyonly two questions would be discussed ere we apply this truth.
1. How all this can be verified in reference to the word of life, which was with the Father? Can a spiritual substance be handled, an immateriall be visible, an incorporeal be heard, and such is the word of life, Verbum caro factum sic sermonem vitae videre possint. Aug. in ep. Verbum Dei quod per se invisibile, vident Apostoli, tractāt &c. Hier. in Amos. Filius Dei in suâ naturâ invisibilis in nostra naturâ visibilis factus est &c. Cypr. de bapt. Vide Zanch. Iustin. Bez. in loc. Necessarium fuit ut Apostoli eo tactu, visu, crederent quippe qui ad posteritatem certitudinem suae fidei erant transmissuri Paul. pal. in Ioh. Cum displiceret ipsum Testimonium passi sunt omnia quae pas si martyres &c. Aug. in ep:and yet thus it is here asserted; we have heard, we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled of the word of life.
To which the answer is easily returned, that this person▪ the word of life, was made flesh, or as it is in the next verse, was manifested, to wit, in humane nature, and so though in himself he were invisible, yet in flesh he was visible and palpable. This is that which perhaps may be insinuated in the Praeposition foreign here inserted; it is not said the, but of, or concerning the word of life, because it was not the very word it self, but that nature which the word assumeth to it self; though withall, in as much as that nature was assumed into unity of person with the word, it was the word it self they saw and handled; and so foreign is onelyonly an Hebraism, and equivalent to foreign, as foreign in the Acts answereth to foreign, and so the Syriack readeth it the word of life.
2. What might be the reason why the Apostles had such sensible confirmation of what they did declare?
The answer to which is because,
1. The holy Apostles were to be the first publishers of the doctrine, concerning Christ come in the flesh: 2 the doctrins they were to publish, were such as were very incredible to human reason, & therfore presently found great opposition; nay yet further, 3 these Apostles were not onelyonly to be the first declarers, but by reason of persecution, were to be in some kind or other sufferers for the truth of that which they did declare: now upon these considerations it was most requisite these planters of Christianity should be bold and resolute in declaring and defending what they declared: Rationally much less religiously bold they could not be, unless strongly and undoubtedly confirmed in, and assured of the truth of those things they did declare,Quod videt aliquis potest nuntiare alteri &c. Didym. ib. Act. 4.20.1.3. Vide Quintil. l. 5. c. 9. foreign graeci indubitata & necessaria signa vocant. Bez. & this confirmation they could not have by a better way than sensible demonstration. Hence it is that the Apostles give this as the reason of their resolvedness, we cannot but speak the things we see and hear; and St. Luke calls those proofs which the Apostles had of Christs resurrection, by seeing and coversing with him, foreign which our translation not unfitly rendereth infallible proofs, by which therefore they were no doubt strengthened in their faith, and animated with courage.
To apply this to our selves in severall particulars.
1. Here is matter of confutation, and that both direct and collaterall.
1. This directly confuteth a double heresie.
Aug. de haeres.1. That of the Marcionites, and Manichees (whereof St. Austin saith Cerdo was the author) who assert all things Christ did, were foreign, only in appearance, denying that he was truly man. But surely when we read that he was not onelyonly heard, but seen and handled; we must needs acknowledge him reall man; an apparition may indeed deceive the sight, but it cannot the feeling; Christ was not onelyonly seen, but felt: hence it is that this is his own argument to his disciples, when they doubted whether he were not a spirit; handle me, see me, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have.Luc. 24.39.
foreign &c. Oecumen.2. That of the Nestorians, who assert two persons, the one the Son of God, the other the Son of Mary; but were it so, St. Iohns words could not be verified, they saw and handled the word of life, for it was onelyonly the man-hood they saw and handled; and if the man Christ were a distinct person from the word of life, they could not be said to handle the one, when they handled the other;foreign Naz. orat. 38. and therefore we do from these, and such other like places, strongly assert a unity of the two natures in one person, it being one and the same person, who as God was invisible, and as man visible, as God, was from the beginning, as man, had a beginning, as God, was immateriall, and as man palpable.
2. This collaterally confutes that error of the Papists, who assert the flesh and blood of Christ to be corporally present in the holy Sacrament, so as that the bread and wine are by a miraculous work transubstantiated into it; indeed from this very clause a strong argument may be drawn, and that two wayes.
1. To prove that Christs flesh and blood is not there corporally present, because then it must be visible; it is an undoubted maxime in Philosophy, omne corporeum est quantum, quantity is inseparable from corporiety, and being so, it cannot but be visible and palpable; nay,foreign ▪ Plat. in Trin. since it implyeth a contradiction for a thing to be a body, and not to be visible, because it is as much as to be, and not to be a body, it is that which Omnipotency it self cannot do, and therefore in vain is a miracle pretended.
2. To prove that the bread and wine in the holy Sacrament, are not transubstantiated, but remain bread wine still, because it is a clear axiome, bodies are such in their own nature, as they present themselves to the sence, when it is every way disposed and fitted for the object: now that which at the holy table offereth it self to the view, and taste, and touch of the most rectifyed organ, is not flesh and bloud, but bread and wine; and therefore if St. Iohns proof here be valid, that which he declared was true, because he saw and handled it, we may with the same validity, prove it is bread and wine in the sacrament, because by seeing and handling we find it to be such.
2. Here is matter of Conviction, to perswade us of the verity of the Apostolical writings; It is true, the chief reason why we are to receive their writings, is because they were moved, and extraordinarily assisted in the penning of them, by the holy Ghost; but yet withall, this may be a secondary reason of our assent to what they testifyed and wrote, because it was no other than that which they had heard, nay seen, nay, handled; we all think it just and reasonable to believe a man when he speaketh not by hear-say, but personal experience: and why then, is it not reason that we should believe the Apostles, who declare nothing but what they heard, saw, and handled? This was so rational an argument in St. Iohns account, that speaking concerning Christs being thrust through with a spear, he thus argueth: He that saw it bare record, and his record is true; therefore true, because of that which he saw:Ioh. 19.35. and hence it is, that Iohn the Baptist, complaining of the Iews infidelity, in rejecting Christ, useth this aggravation; what he hath seen and heard, 3.32.11.that he testifieth, and no man receiveth his Testimony; and in the same Chapter, Christ himself taketh up the same complaint to Nicodemus, verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testifie that we have seen, and you receive not our witness.
To drive this nail to the head, there are but three things that can possibly be objected against this reason, which being cleared, I conceive it will remain unanswerable, and such as may convince a Iew, a Pagan, if they were not wilfully blind.
That they say they heard, saw, and handled, what they never did, and so were no better than deceivers.
That they did onelyonly think they saw such things, but in truth did not, and so were themselves deceived.
That that which they did hear, see, handle, will not amount to a proof of what they declared, namely, that Iesus was the Christ. To all which, I doubt not but to return a full answer.
1. As to the first, such an accusation cannot aequitably be charged on any, except they either were men of loose and flagitious lives, and so not likely to make any conscience of a lye, or else that there were some great advantage, apparently accruing by such a lye, which perhaps might have an influence, not onelyonly on a loose, but a civil person; now neither of these can in this case be alledged. For
1. The Apostles were men of holy and exemplary lives,Phil. 2.15. men that did shine as lights in the world by their good conversation, men whom those grand Apostates, and enemies of Christianity could charge with nothing but simplicity, and therefore no reason to suspect that they should tell such a gross lye, as to say, they heard, or saw, or handled, what they never did.
2. It is sufficiently manifest, that they were not allured to bear this Testimony by any gain, either of honour, or profit, or pleasure; nay, in stead of gain, there was nothing but loss, they were hated of all men, Vide Grot. de verit. Christ. Relig. l. 2.for Christs names sakes; they forsook father, mother, friends; they were exposed to hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness, tortures, and most of them to death it self, nemo gratis malus est; no man will be wicked for nothing, nay, invent and maintain, and stand in a lye, when no benefit, but a great injury redounds to him by it; and therefore we may justly conceive that it was nothing but the force of truth that prevailed upon them, and the Spirit of God burning as a fire in their bosomes, which could not be concealed.
2. As to the second, These three things are very considerable.
1. That where the object is sensible, if there be a fit organ, an apt medium, and a convenient distance, the sense is not, cannot be deceived, nor is there any demonstration more certain: now these things, of which the Apostles bear witness, were things placed within the compass of sense, as being concerning a man, his birth, death, resurrection, and the like, all which are sensible objects; and they who tell us they saw these things, were the companions of this man, alwayes neer to, conversing with him; nor did ever any deny them to be men of perfect sences; and therefore there is no reason to suspect a deceit.
2. That it was not one or two, or a few, but many, who had this sensible experience; there were twelve who did continually attend upon Christ;1 Cor. 15 6. & after his resurrection, he was seen of above five hundred. Though one mans sense might be bad, or fallible, yet it is not imaginable that so many were deceived, especially considering that all they who testifie to us what they saw, agree for substance in one and the same testimony, not varying from, not jarring against one another.
3. And yet once more, it is plurium sensuum experimentum, Fálsa utique testatio si oculorum & aurium & manuum sensus natura mentitur. Tertul. de Anim. c. 17.they had the proof of many senses, and if one, yet it is not likely that all should be deceived; if the eare, yet sure not the eye; if the eare and eye, yet not the hand; if any, yet not all of these; and therefore it is very improbable, nay, impossible, they should be deceived.
3. As to the last, the contrary will plainly appear, if we consider these two things.
1. The proving those prophecies which were made concerning the Messiah, to be fulfilled in him, is an evident proof that he was the Messiah: but by their sences they might and did prove these things to be accomplished in him, for they saw him borne and dying, and rising according to the Scriptures, the greatest part of those things which are foretold, being within the reach of sense.
2. The proving him to be a worker of glorious miracles (such as never any before nor since, did nor could do, unless by his power, and in his name) proveth him to be the Messiah, the great Prophet which should come into the world: But by sence they were able to prove that such and such miracles were wrought by him, and therefore it is very observable, that when Iohn sent to Christ, to know whether he was he, or they must look for another: the answer Christ returneth, is an argument drawn from sense; Go tell Iohn what things ye have seen and heard, how that the blinde see, the lame walk, Luc 7.20, 21, 22.the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the Gospel is preached: And therefore, all these considerations being laid together, it remaineth as a clear truth, that Christian Religion is very reasonable, and the sensible experience which the Apostles, those first planters of Christianity, had concerning the things they declared and wrote, is a strong and undeniable reason, why we should give credence and obedience to their writings.
3. To draw to an end, here is in the last place matter of Exhortation, and that double.
1. That before we declare things or truths to others, we look that we be fully convinced of their verity our selves; surely if he that doth any thing which he doubteth, whether it be lawfull, sinneth, much more he that declareth any thing which he doubteth whether it be true; and especially doth this concerne the Ministers of the Gospel, who being to speak as the oracles of God, must speak the word of truth.
Indeed there are two things every good Minister should be careful to do, in respect of the things he declareth.
To work the goodness of them on his own affections.
To imprint the verity of them on his own understanding.
The truth is, what we take onelyonly upon hear-say, or is only a fiction of our own brain, and an invention of our own fancy, we can never confidently maintain, or however not solidly; and the true reason why so many recant, deny the truth they have declared, is (at least for the most part) because they were never throughly stablished in the faith, and sufficiently convinced of its verity.
2. That so far as is imitable by us, we follow these holy Apostles, in hearing, seeing, looking on, and handling the Word of life. It is true, we cannot now hear Christ speaking to us with his own mouth, but we may hear him speaking to us by his faithfull messengers; We pray you in Christs stead, saith the Apostle: and again, it is Christ that speaketh in us: 2 Cor. 5 20.12.5.Oh then, let him that hath eares hear, and let us all pray for that hearing-eare, whereby we may attend to what Christs Ministers speak from, as if it were spoken by him, to wit, with all humility and sincerity. Again, we cannot now see him in his person, but we may see him in his Ordinances. St. Paul saith, that in the Gospel, Iesus Christ is before our eyes, evidently set forth, crucified among us; and that in the holy Sacrament,Gal▪ 3.1. 1 Cor. 11.26. we shew forth the Lords death till he come: oh therefore, let us in these holy ordinances see, and so see, as to look upon, and rejoyce in him. Finally, we cannot handle him corporally in himself, but we may handle him sacramentally in the pledges of his love, the bread and wine; we may handle him, though not literally, yet metaphorically by faith, believing on him: Indeed it is faith that can do all these acts, hear and see, and look on, and handle Christ; it is the Christians eare, and eye, and hand, let us so make use of it, by faith attending to him, beholding and embracing him, till at last the time come, of his second manifestation, when with these eyes and no other, we shall see him coming in the glory of his Father, and to the endless joy of our hearts hear him pronouncing the sweet sentence,Iob 19.27. Mat. 2….34. Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, from the beginning of the world.