Commentary on the Epistles and Revelation of John, Commentary 2 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Verſe 1. I would not that ye ſhould]
HIstoriae ſidae monitrices, Buchole.ſaith one. There is very good uſe to be made of other mens examples. Hiſtoria hath it's name, ſaith Plato, of ſtopping the flux of errours and evil manners. For muta to nomine de to Fabula narratur. foreign in Crat.What better effects ſinne hath produced in ſome man, it may in any man. Lege igitur hiſtoriam, ne ſias historia.
Verſe 2. And were all baptized] And yet were rooted out and rejected. Baptiſme ſaveth; not the putting away of the filth of the fleſh, but, &c. 1 Pet. 3.21.
Verſe 3. And did all eat] They fed upon Sacraments, and yet died in Gods diſpleaſure. The carcaſe of the Sacrament cannot give life, but the ſoul of it, which is the thing repreſented.
Verſe 4. The ſame spirituall drink] Here was no dry communion.
That ſpirituall rock that followed them] The waters of the rock,See Pſa, 195 41 Deut 9 21. the vertue and benefit went along with them: ſo ſhould the efficacy of the Lords Supper with us. We ſhould walk in the ſtrength of it, as Eliah did of his cake.
Verſe 5. They were overthrown] They died with the Sacramentall meat in their mouths: our priviledges excuſe us not, but aggravate our enormities.
Verſe 6. Were our examples] Worthily are they made examples that will not take them. Alterius perditio tua ſit cauti…. The deſtruction of others ſhould be a terrour to us, that we may waſh our feet in the bloud of the wicked, Pſal. 52.6. It is a juſt preſage and deſert of ruine, not to be warned.
As they alſo lusted] As at Kibroth hattaavah, where by a haſty teſtament they bequeathed a new name to the place of their buriall.
Verſe 7. And roſe up to play] Now if they were ſo cheared and ſtrengthened by theſe murthering morſels, ſhould not we be made active and abundant in Gods Word by the dainties of Gods Table?Knew ſtub. on Com.7.
Verſe 8. And fell in one day] The Apoſtle inſtead of the cloke of heat of youth, puts upon fornication a bloudy cloke, bathed in the bloud of twenty three thouſand.
Three and twenty thouſand] Moſes mentions 24000. whereof one thouſand were the chief Princes, the others inferiours, provoked to ſin by their example. But why doth the Apoſtle inſiſt in the ſpeciall puniſhment of the people?Jun paral lib. 2. p. 37. To ſhew (ſaith learned Junius) how frigid and inſufficient their excuſe is, that pretend for their ſins, the examples of their ſuperiours.
Verſe 9. Neither let us tempt] By provoking him to jealouſie, as verſ. 22. eſpecially by Idolatry, that Land-deſolating ſinne.
Verſe 10. As ſome of them alſo] viz. Numb. 14. And God ſaid Amen to it, verſ. 28. May he not juſtly ſay the ſame to our deteſtable God-damn-me's? As truly as I live, ſaith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine eares, ſo will I do to you.
Verſe 11. For our admonition] God hangs up ſome, as it were in gibbets, for publike ex…mple. See ver. 6.
Ʋpon whom the ends, &c.] Theſe then are the laſt and worſt daies, the very lees and dregs of time. Now the worſe the times are, the better we ſhould be: and the rather, becauſe an end of all things is at hand.
Verſe 12. That thinks he ſtands] If he do but think ſo, if he be no more then a ſeemer, he will fall at length into hell mouth. A man may live by a form, but he cannot die by a forme. Therefore rather ſeeke to be good, then ſeem to be ſo.
Verſe 13. But ſuch as is common] Such as is humane, i. e. foreignEither ſuch as is incident to men, as men. Job 5 6. Or ſuch as men may well bear without buckling under it: Or ſuch as comes from men, not from devils: Ye wreſtle againſt fleſh and bloud, &c. Or you are yet only allured to idolatry, not forced by perſecution. You gratifie your idolatrous acquaintance with your preſence at their Idol feaſts; you are tempted and ſoone taken.
But God is faithfull] When Mr Latimer ſtood at the ſtake,Act. and Mon. fol. 1579. and the tormentours about to ſet fire to him and Ridley, he lifted up his eyes toward heaven with an amiable and comfortable countenance, ſaying theſe words, Fidelis eſt Deus, &c. Ridley alſo at the ſtake, with a wonderous cheatfull look ran to Latimer, embraced and kiſted, and as they that ſtood near reported,Ibid. 1605. comforted him, ſaying, Be of good heart, brother. God will either aſſwage the fury of the flame, or elſe will ſtrengthen us to abide it.
But will with the temptation] He proportioneth the burden to the back, and the ſtroke to the ſtrength of him that beareth it. I thank God, ſaid Mr Bradford, my common diſeaſe (which was a rheum with a feebleneſſe of ſtomach) doth leſſe trouble me then when I was out of priſon, which doth teach me the mercifull providence of God toward me.Ibid. 1459.
Verſe 14. Flee from Idolatry] He calleth their ſitting at the Idols-feaſts, though without intent of honouring the Idol, by the name of Idolatry: becauſe. 1. Hereby they yeelded a tacite conſent to that ſinne. 2. Petty matters pave a cauſey for the greater.
Verſe 13. I ſpeak as to wiſe men] i. e. Well skilled in the doctrine of the Sacraments: from one of which I am about to argue. Piſcator after he had read ſome of the Fathers, gave over for this reaſon, becauſe ſcarce any of them did rightly underſtand the uſe and efficacy of baptiſme.
Verſe 16. The cup of bleſſing] Not the Chalice, but the common cup.Dieſt de ratione ſtud… Theol. pag. 116. Colvin choſe rather to leave Geneva, then to uſe unleavened bread or water-cakes at the Lords Supper. We may not ſymbolize with Idolaters.
Is it not the communion] Doth it not ſignifie and ſet forth, yea, as an inſtrument, effect and exhibite this communion?
Verſe 17. And one body] By the force of faith and love, Can. 6.9. My dove is but one: the daughters ſaw her, and bleſſed her. No ſuch oneneſſe, entireneſſe any where as among the Saints. Other ſocieties are but as the clay in the toes of Nebuchadnezzars image, they may cleave together, but not incorporate one into another.
Verſe 18. Are not they which eat, &c.] See Levit. 7.15. Hence he infers that theſe Corinthians alſo eating of the Idols-ſacrifices, were defiled with idolatry: a pari.
Verſe 19. What ſay I then?] He prevents a miſtake. See cha. 8.4. Miniſters muſt in their diſcourſes meet with all objections as much as may be.
Verſe 20. They ſacrifice to devils] A good intention then excuſeth not. The Gentiles thought they had ſacrificed to God. So do the Papiſts, who yet worſhip devils, whiles they worſhip idols of gold, and ſilver, and braſſe, and ſtone, Revel. 9.20. The devil is foreign, ſaith Syneſius an Idol-lover.In epiſt.
Verſe 21. partakers of the Lords table] Name and thing. The Popiſh opinion of Maſſe was, that it might not be celebrated, but upon an altar, or at leaſt upon a ſuperaltare, Act. and Mon. fol. 1111. Ibid. 1326.which muſt have it's prints and carects, or elſe the thing was not thought to be lawfully done. Our Communion Table they called an oyſter-board.
And the table of devils] Redwald King of Eaſt-Saxons had in the ſame Church one alter for Chriſtian Religion,Camden. and another for ſacrifice to devils.
Verſe 22. Do we provoke the Lord] As Caligula that dared his Jove to a duell: As the raging Turk at the laſt aſſault of Scodra, moſt horribly blaſpheming God.Tork. biſt. fol. 423. Pſal. 90.11. But who knoweth the power of his anger? It is ſuch as none can avert or avoid, avoid or abide.
Verſe 23.Bern. All things are not expedient] An liceat, an deceat, an expediat, are three moſt needfull queſtions. Things lawfull in themſelves may be unſeemly for our ſtate and calling; unbehovefull alſo to the benefit of others. Think unlawfull for thee whatſoever implies either inexpediency or indecency.
Verſe 24. Let no man ſeek his own] Self miſcarries us all, and makes us eccentrick in our motions, nothing more.
Verſe 25. Whatſoever is ſold &c.] A portion of the conſecrated fleſh was uſually ſold by … Pr…eſts, who made their markets of it, as Aug…ſtine upon the Romans teſtifieth.
Verſe 26. For the earth is the Lords] God, of his bounty, ſpreads a Table for all: Make no ſcruple therefore, eat freely.
Verſe 27. And ye be dispoſed to go] Our Saviour when he ſaw that Johns auſterity was cenſured, took his liberty in the uſe of creatures, and convenient company-keeping, Luk. 7.33, 34. I do not finde where ever he was bidden to any table and refuſed. Not for the pleaſure of the diſhes, but for the benefit of ſo winning a converſation.
Verſe 28. The earth is the Lords] Therefore in caſe of ſcandall abſtain. Why ſhouldſt thou uſe this creature, as if there were no more but this? Suſpend thy liberty: Haſt not thou all the world afore thee?
Verſe 29. Why is my liberty judged] As a profane licence. We ſhould be ſhie of the very ſh…ws and ſhadows of ſin, Quiequid fuerit malè color atum, as Bernard hath it: if a thing look but ill favoured, abſtain from it.
Verſe 30.foreign. For if I by grace] Or, By thanksgiving. The ſame Greek word ſignifies both: to teach us, that a gratefull man is a gracious man. The unthankfull and the evil are ſet together as the ſame, Luk. 6.33. God is kinde to the unthankfull and to the evil.
Verſe 31. Whether therefore ye eat, &c.] Of a reverend Scotch Divine it is ſaid, That He did even eat and drink and ſleep eternall life. Theſe common actions alſo are ſteps in our Chriſtian walking, deſpiſe them not therefore, but refer them to that ſupreme ſcope.foreign. Xenoph. Druſ. Apophil. Socrates even in his recreations, profited his companions no leſſe then if he had been reading Lectures to them. Plato and Xenophon thought it fit and profitable that mens ſpeeches at meals ſhould be written. Quicquid agas propter Deum agas, ſaith one. Propter te Domine, propter te, ſaid another.
Verſe 32. Give none offence] This is another end we ſhould aim at, the edification of others. Finibus, non officys a vitys, diſcernuntur virtutes. Auguſtin.Two things make a good Chriſtian, good actions, and good aims.
Verſe 33. Not ſeeking mine own profit] This, ſaith Chryſoſtome, is the moſt perfect Canon of Chriſtianity, the top-gallant of true religion.