Commentary on the Epistles and Revelation of John, Commentary 2 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Verſe 1. Sosthenes our brother]
ANd companion in the kingdome and patience of Chriſt, Act. 18.17. There he was deſpitefully entreated, here highly honoured.Revel. 1.9… Chriſt is a liberall pay-maſter: Never any did or ſuffered ought for his ſake that complained of an hard bargain. It is to my loſſe (ſaid that Martyr) if you bate me any thing in my ſufferings. Majora certamina, majora ſequuntur praemia, ſaith Tertullian.
Verſe 2. Called to be Saints] i. e. Either ſuch as are ſanctified by habituall infuſion, or ſuch as are ſanctified by baptiſmall profeſſion only, that are in Covenant with God by ſacrifice, Pſal. 506. and are in Chriſt, though they bear no fruit, Ioh. 15.2. Theſe two ſorts of Saints make up a true viſible Church.
With all that in every place] The Apoſtles then wrote not their Epiſtles for the particular uſes of thoſe times only, as the Jeſuites will have it.
Verſe 3. Grace be to you and peace] All peace that flows not from the ſenſe of Gods love and favour, is as that of the Romans with the Samnites, Pax infila, pax incerta Livius.unfound and uncertain.
Verſe 4. For the grace of God] Intending to chide them, he firſt commends them that he may preſerve in their hearts an opinion of his love, whileſt he rebuked them ſharply, that they might be ſound in the faith.
Verſe 5. Ye are enriched] See here what is the Chriſtians riches. And ſo David reckons of his wealth, Pſal. 119.32. He cannot be poor in whom the word of God dwels richly, Coloſ. 3.16. eſpecially if he befrce of diſcourſe, able and willing to communicate. A dumb Chriſtian is to be blamed, as well as a dumb Miniſter.
Verſe 6. The testimony of Christ] The Goſpel, called alſo the Teſtimony, Iſa. 8.10. To the Law, and to the Teſtimony.
Verſe 7. So that ye come behinde, &c.] Yet were babes and carnall, Chap. 3.2, 3. and fell ſhort in many graces. We muſt diſtinguiſh between gifts and graces & covet theſe rather then thoſe, 1 Co. 13.1.
Verſe 8. In the day of our Lord J…ſus] Eleven times in theſe ten firſt verſes (as Chryſoſtome well obſerveth) the Apoſtle mentioneth the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who was to him, and ſhould be to us,Bern. Mel in ore, melos in aure, jubilum in corde, Honey in the mouth, muſick in the ear, joy in the heart.
Verſe 9. Ʋnto the fellowſhip] Union being the ground of communion: ſo that all that is in him is for us. I give my goods to the Saints, ſaith David, in the perſon of Chriſt.
Verſe 10. That there be no diviſions] To break unity in the Church, is to cut aſunder the very veins and ſinews of the myſtical body of Chriſt.
By the Name of our Lord] Which is like to ſuffer by your diſſenſions, and whereof you ought to be as tender, as of treading upon your parents that begat you.
Perfectly joyned] Schiſmes diſ-joynt men.
Verſe 11. Of the houſe of Chloe] A godly Matron ſhe was no doubt, and a good office herein ſhe did her neighbours: though, likely, ſhe had little thank for her labour; as likewiſe Joſeph had for bringing his brethrens evil report to their father, Gen. 37.2.
That there are contentions] Theſe oft breed Schiſmes; as did the contention between Luther and Caroloſtadius: And many of the ancient hereſies, ſprang from private grudges and diſcontents, in ſui ſolatium, for a ſorry comfort to thoſe that broached them.
Verſe 12. And I of Chriſt] q. d. I care neither for Paul nor Apollo, &c. As ſome ſay now-a-daies, they are neither Papiſts nor Proteſtants, but Chriſtians, that is juſt nothing, ſlat Atheiſts. Heraclius the Emperour being imprudently carried away by ſome Biſhops into the opinion of the Monothelites, when that hereſie was afterwards condemned by the Councel of Hieruſalem, the Emperour being aſhamed to recant, became a meer Noutraliſt, and held neither one way nor other.
Verſe 13. Baptized in the Name] Gr. Into the Name, ſo as to be called by my name. Thoſe then that will needs be called Franciſcans, Lutherans &c. do after a ſort diſclaim their baptiſme, and become run awaies from Chriſt.
Verſe 14. I thank God] He noteth and noticeth herein a ſweet providence, beyond all that he then imagined, when he was at Corinth. God is to be ſeen in every ſpeciall occurrence.
Verſe 15. Lest any ſhould ſay] q. d. God hath ſo diſpoſed of it, that none can with any colour of cauſe, or ſhew of ſenſe ſay ſuch a thing.
Verſe 16. Whether I baptized any] His Colleagues, belike, did it (whiles he was other wiſe buſied) with a particular examination and inſtruction in thoſe principles, Heb. 6.2.
Verſe 17. Not to baptize] As my chief work,*So Jer. 7.22. Meli…h. Adam. i… vi… 115. but to preach and plant Churches, wherein he had a very happy hand: as had likewiſe Farellus among our late Reformers, Qui Mompelgardenſes, Aquileienſes, Lauſannenſis, Genevenſes, Novocomenſes Chriſto luoriſecit, he gained five Cities with their territories to Chriſt.
Not with wiſdome of words] Which yet S. Paul could have done as well as another; witneſſe his artificiall unſtarching of the Oratours ſpeech, Act. 26. But he liked not to put the Sword of the Spirit into a velvet ſcabberd, that it could not pierce, to ſpeak Floridè potiùs quam ſolidè, as thoſe ſelf-ſeekers at Corinth did, that ſought more to tickle the ear then to affect the heart. It repented Augustine, (and well it might) that when he was young he had preached more, Ʋt placeret, quam ut doceres, to pleaſe, then to profit. And Luther was wont to ſay, He is the beſt preacher that preacheth, vulgaritèr, trivialitèr, maximè que , ad populi captum. Not but that there is a lawfull uſe of Rhetorike in Sermons, ſo it be free from oſtentation. See the Preface to my Gods love tokens.
Verſe 18. To them that periſh, fooliſhneſſe] As it is to the Jews at this day, who rail againſt Chriſts perſon, calling him the hanged God, the wool and the warp, Levit. 13.52. becauſe theſe two make the figure of the Croſſe. And being asked whether they beleeve to be ſaved by Chriſts righteouſneſſe? They anſwer, That every Fox muſt pay his own skin to the flaer. The Pagans alſo jeared at Chriſt, and his people, as did Julian, Lucian, Porphyry, &c.
Verſe 19. For it is written] Thus the old Teſtament is fulfilled in the New,foreign. whiles the worlds wizards are dazelled, dulled and diſannulled.
Verſe 20. Where is the wiſe?] The teacher of traditions: the Jews had a Proverb foreign.
Where is the Scribe?] Or the Text-men, thoſe that proceed according to the literall interpretation.
Where is the Disputer?] The teachers of allegories and myſteries, 1 Tim. 1.4.
Verſe 21.Act. 17.27. foreign. The world by wiſdome] Not the Jews by their deep Doctours, nor the Gentiles by their wits and wizards (Qui tanquam noctuae ad ſolem caligabant) could grope out God.
By the fooliſhneſſe of preaching] An ironicall conceſſion, ſo the mad world eſteemeth it, who ſhall t…e for ever the contempt of it, crying out Nos inſenſati, &c.
Verſe 22. For the Jews require, &c.] The reaſon of their rejecting the Goſpel is, they are prepoſſeſſed againſt it, they look for that, that it affordeth not. A prejudicate opinion bars up the underſtanding. Intùs exiſtens prohibet alienum: like muddy water in a veſſell, that cauſeth the moſt precious liquour to run over.
Verſe 23. But we preach Chriſt] We not only preach of him, but we preach him, we give what we preach. It is the ſpeciall office of the miniſtery to lay Chriſt open, to hold up the tapeſtry, to unfold the hidden myſteries of Chriſt. The holy Ghoſt in them, taketh of that which is Chriſts, and ſheweth to men. Joh. 16.15.
Ʋnto the Iews a ſtumbling block] Theſe Philiſtims cannot conceive how out of the eater ſhould come meat, and out of the ſtrong, ſweet. Ʋnto the Greeks] Theſe jeared at Jeſus, and the reſurrection, as at a couple of ſtrange gods, Act. 17.18. Cato profanely ſaith, Stultitia est morte alterius sperare ſalutem. It is a folly to expect ſafety by the death of another.
Verſe 24. Chriſt the power of God] Oppoſite to the power of miracles required by the Jews.
And the wiſdome of God] Oppoſite to the Grecians worldly wiſdom.
Verſe 25. Becauſe the fooliſhneſſe] The wiſeſt man compared to God, Simia videbitur, non ſapiens, ſaid Hera…litus, as Plato relateth it, He will appear to be an Ape rather then a wiſe-man.
Verſe 26. Not many mighty] The Eagle and Lion were not offered in ſacrifice, as the Lamb and the Dove were. It is hard for great ones to deny themſelves. Hence it grew to a Proverb in times of Popery, That hell was paved with Prieſts ſhaven crowns,Rafit ſacrificulorum verticibus & magnatumgolgia. Hieron. and great mens head-pieces. Indeed if men might paſſe de deliciis ad delicias, è eaeno ad coelum, as Hierom hath it: If they could dance with the devil all day, and ſup with Chriſt at night: If they might live all their lives long in Dalilah's lap, and then go to Abrahams boſome when they die, they would have a ſine time of it. But that cannot be: and hence ſo many mighties miſcarry.
Not many noble] Bleſſed be God that any: as Galeacius Caracciolus an Italian Marqueſſe, and Nephew to Pope Paul 5. was converted by Peter Martyr reading upon this firſt Epiſtle to the Corinthians. George Prince of Anhalt, a pious preaching Prince, converted by Melancthon: Ʋlyſſes Martinengus Earl of Baccha another Italian convert, and ſome few more that might be inſtanced. But good Nobles are black-ſwans (ſaith one) and thinly ſcattered in the fit mament of a ſtate, even like ſtars of the firſt magnitude. We may ſay of ſuch, as Luther doth of Elizabeth Queen of Denmark, a pious Princeſſe,Luther in epiſt. ad Joh. Agricol. Scilicet Chriſtrus etiam aliquando voluit reginam in coelum vehere.
Verſe 27. But God hath choſen] In our Church aſſemblies the meaner uſually, like little fiſhes, bite more then the greater. The poor are Gospellized, Mat. 11.5.
Verſe 28. Things which are not] i. e. That are nought ſet by 1 Sam. 25.6. Thus ſhall ye ſay to him that liveth, that is, to him that is rich: for poor men are reputed as dead men. They have but priſoners pittances, which will keep them alive, and that's all.
Verſe 29. That no fleſh] Proud fleſh will ſoon ſwell, if it have but any thing to faſten on. The devil will alſo eaſily blow up ſuch a blab.
Verſe 30. But of him are ye] q. d. Albeit ye have nothing of your own, yet in Chriſt you have all: for in him is all fulnes both repletive and diffuſive, both of abundance, and of redundance too, both of plenty and of bounty.
Is made unto us wiſdome] This notes out Chriſts Propheticall office.
Righteouſneſſe and ſanctification] By his Prieſtly office.
Redemption] By his K…gly office, having fully delivered his from ſin, death and hell; all which is not fully done, till after death. And that's the reaſon why Redemption is here ſet laſt. See Rom. 8.23. Luk. 21.28.
Verſe 31. Glory in the Lord] Acquieſce and exult in him, which is the end why God hath done all this for us in Chriſt.