Commentary on the Epistles and Revelation of John, Commentary 2 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. Verſe 1. I would not have you ignorant]
TO wit, of the only authour, and true end of them,Col. 2.18. Lest ye be vainly puffed up by your fl…ſhly minde. Ignorance breeds pride, Rev. 3.17.
Verſe 2. Even as ye were led] It is the miſery of a naturall man that hath not his heart ſtabliſhed with grace, to be carried away as he is led, to be wherried about with every winde of doctrine, to have no mould, but what the next ſeducer caſteth him into: being blown like a glaſſe into this or that ſhape, at the pleaſure of his breath.
Verſe 3. Calleth Jeſus accurſed] As the wicked Jews do at this day in their daily praiers and abbreviatures: And as the Gentiles did of old, and theſe Corinthians among the reſt.Quorum nihil cogi poſſe dicun. tu… qui ſunt revera obriſtiani. Plin. epiſt. But now they would rather die then do ſo: as Pliny writes to Trajan the Emperour, that he could never force any that were Chriſtians indeed, either to invocate the gods, or to do ſacrifice before the Emperours image, or to curſe Chriſt.
And that no man can ſay, &c.] That is, No man can with the fiduciall aſſent of his heart, acknowledge Chriſt to be the only Lord, whom he is to worſhip by the lame impulſions, by which another curſes and blaſphemes him, but by ſuch peculiar motives as are ſuggeſted and revealed unto him by the holy Ghoſt.
Verſe 4. But the ſame spirit] As the divers ſmels of flowers come from the ſame influence, and the divers ſounds in the organ from the ſame breath.
Verſe 5. Differences of adminiſtrations] i. e. Eccleſiaſticall functions, all of them the dona honoraria of the Lord Chriſt, Epheſ. 4.8-11.
Verſe 6. Diverſities of operations] The holy Ghoſt may uſe one of leſſe grace, to do more good then one of more: though he delights to honour thoſe of moſt ſincerity with moſt ſucceſſe, as 1 Cor. 15.10.
Verſe 7. To profit withall] We are neither born nor born again for our ſelves. If we be not fit to ſerve the body, neither are we fit to be of the body: He is not a Saint that ſeeketh not communion of Saints.Paulùm ſet ul…e diſtat incrtie …elata virtu…. Hor. Pudeat illos, qui ita in ſtudijs ſe abdiderunt, ut ad vitam communem nullum fructum ferre poſſint, ſaith Cicero, They may well be aſhamed that imploy not their talents for a publike good.
Verſe 8. The word of wiſdom] The tongue of the learned, to time a word, Iſa. 50.4. to ſet it upon it's circumferences, Prov. 25.11. to declare unto man his righteouſnes, when not one of a thouſand can do it like him, Job 33.23.
The word of knowledge] This, ſay ſome, is the Doctours office, as the former word of wiſdome is the Paſtours. But the eſſentiall difference betwixt Paſtours and Doctours in each Congregation is much denied by many learned and good Divines.M. Edwards his Antapolog.
Verſe 9. To another faith] The faith of miracles, which a man may have, and yet miſcarry, 1 Cor. 13.2. So doth not any one that hath the faith of Gods elect; that fails not, Luk. 22. Some ſay the Apoſtle here meaneth hiſtoricall faith: And this ſeems the more probable,Rolloc de vocatione. becauſe he ſpeaketh of the working of miracles, verſ. 10.
Verſe 10. Diſcerning of spirits] They diſcerned not mens hearts of themſelves (for ſo God only) but by a ſpeciall work of Gods Spirit diſcovering them to their eyes, as Peter diſcerned A…anias, and afterwards Simon Magus, whom Philip miſtook and baptized.
Verſe 11. One and the ſelf ſame ſpirit] Who yet is called, the ſeven ſpirits of God, Revel. 1.4. for his manifold and ſundry operations.
Verſe 12. So alſo is Chriſt] Myſticall Chriſt, the Church. Chriſt the Saviour of his body (Epheſ. 5.23.) accounts not himſelf compleat without his Church, Eph. 1. ult. So God is called Iacob, Pſal. 24.6.
Verſe 13. For by one ſpirit, &c.] By the teſtimony of the two Sacraments, whereof we all partake, the Apoſtle proveth that we are all but one body, and ſhould therefore as Bees bring all our honey to the common hive.
Are we all baptized] The Apoſtles received all into the Church that believed and were baptized, without particular probation for ſome daies, weeks, moneths or years, and entring into a private ſolemn Covenant.
And have been all made to drink] Potionati ſumus, ſaith Piſcator, and ſo prove our ſelves to be of the corporation and company of believers. But what was the meaning of that paſſage in the old Church-Catechiſme, There are but two Sacraments only, as generally neceſſary, &c. Are there any more then two, though not abſolutely and generally neceſſary to all men in all times, ſtates and conditions whatſoever? The Papiſts themſelves ſay, that five of their Sacraments at leaſt, are not generally neceſſary.
Verſe 14. Not one member, but many] As mans body curiouſly wrought, and as it were, by the book, Pſal. 139.16. Had God left out an eye or hand in his common-place-book (ſaith one) thou hadſt wanted it.
Verſe 15. If the foot ſhould ſay &c.] Inferiours muſt not envy thoſe above them, but be content, …th it is, God that cutteth us out our ſeverall conditions; and a Scavenger may honour God in his place, as well as a Miniſter in his.
Verſe 16. If the ear] A man had better be blinde, lame, dumb, then deaf; becauſe by the ear life enters into the ſoul, Iſa. 55.3.
Verſe 17. If the whole body, &c.] It is proper to God to be foreign, all-eye: Sic spectat univerſos quafi ſingulos, ſie ſingulos quaſi ſolos.
Verſe 18. God hath ſet, &c.] And he, as only wiſe, doth all in number, weight and meaſure. Shall we not reſt in what he hath done as beſt? What can the man do that cometh after the King? Eccleſ. 2.12.
Verſe 19.Ariſt. Ethic. Where were the body?] So the body politike conſiſteth not of a Phyſician and a Phyſician (ſaith Ariſtotle) but of a Phyſician and an husbandman, &c.
Verſe 21. The eye cannot ſay, &c.] Superiours may not ſlight their inferiours, ſith they cannot be without them; as one …ne or other they will be forced to acknowledge. It was a ſaying of Generall Vere to the King of Denmark, That Kings cared not for ſouldiers, untill ſuch time as their Crowns hung on the one ſide of their heads.
Verſe 22. Which ſeem to be, &c.] As the organs of nouriſhment, not ſo noble, but more neceſſary then thoſe of the ſenſes.
Verſe 23. And thoſe members] As the organs of excretion and generation.
Our uncomely parts, &c.] It was at the abomination of Baal-peor or Priapus, that his worſhippers ſaid, Nos, pudore pulſo, ſtamus ſub Jove, celeis apertis, Iſa. 3.&c. God taught our firſt parents to make coverings to hide their nakedneſſe; and the contrary is oft threatned as a curſe.
Verſe 24. For our comely parts] A fair face needs no dreſſe, is it's own teſtimoniall, a bait without an hook, ſaid Socrates.foreign.
Verſe 25. Should have the ſame care] As if the heel do but ake, the whole condoleth and cureth.
Verſe 27. Now ye are, &c.] S. Cyprians ſympathy is remarkable, Cum ſingulis pectus meum copulo, meroris & funeris pondera luctuoſa participo: Cum plangentibus plango, cum deflentibus defleo. Hereby he ſhewed himſelf a living member.
Verſe 28. Diverſities of tongues] This comes in laſt; either to bid check to their pride, who gloried ſo much in their many languages: or becauſe he meant to ſay more to it in the words following.
Verſe 29. Are all teachers?] Yes, ſome would have it ſo; as in Alcibiades his army all were leaders, no learners.
Verſe 31.foreign. Ambite. Covet earnestly, &c.] This is the beſt ambition. Chriſtians ſhould ſtrive to excell, and be the beſt at what they undertake. Melancthon ſaith, that Frederick the Electour of Saxony, had cropt off the tops of all vertues.
A more excellent way] What was that? Charity to God and men, Chap. 13.1. Graces are better then gifts.