Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Commentary 1 · Chapter 5 · Verse 14 – Verse 15
Verse 14. Ye are the light of the world.]
And must therefore lead convincing lives, though ye incur never so much harred of those …, those Tenebriones of the world, that are … apaid so much light should be diffused. But be ye blamelesse and harmlesse, the sonnes of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (as the Baptist was) among whom ye shine as lights in the world; as those great lights, the Sun and Moon (soforeign. the word signifieth) so that they that speak evil of you may be…. Phil. 2. 15.judged as …, as those Atlantes, that curse the rising Sun, becausePlin. it scorcheth them. Be as thestarres, at least; which are said to affect these inferiour bodies, by their influence, motion, and light. So good Ministers (as fixed starres in the Churches firmament) by the influence of their lips, feed; by the regular motion of their lives, confirm; and by the light of both, inlighten many. And with such orient starres this Church of ours (blessed be God,) like a bright skie in a clear evening, sparkleth and is bespangled, though not in every part, yet in every zone and quarter of it.Rev. 17. 9.
A City that is set on a hill cannot be hid]
As that City that's…. mounted on seven hills, Roma Radix Omnium Malorum: and cannot be hid, but is apparently discerned and discried to be thatRev. 18. 2. great City Babylon: So Augustine and other writers call it; so Bellarmine and Ribera the Jesuites yeeld it. Joannes de … in his Mare historiarum telleth us, that … the Emperour was once in a minde, to make Rome the seat of his Empire, as of old it had been. And having built a stately Palace there, where formerly had stood the Palace of Julian the Apostate, (the Romanes being much against it) he gave over the worke. The …, Zonaras and … report the like of Constans, nephew toIn Annal b. Heraclius, 340 years before Otho. Now that these and the … took not …, Genebrard saith it was a speciall pruvidence of God, to the end that the kingdom of the Church foretold by Daniel, might have Rome for its seat. If he had said, the kingdom of Antichrist foretold by St Paul, and likewise by John the Divine, he had divined aright. (But to return from whence we are digressed,) A Minister, whiles he … a private person, stood in the croud, as it were: but no sooner entred into his office, then he is … upon the stage; … are upon him, as they were upon Saul, who was higher by head and shoulders then the rest of the people. Now therefore as the tree of … was sweet to the taste, and fair to the eye; and as in Absolom there was no …, from head to foot: so should it be with Gods Ministers. Singular holinesse is … of such; … those that quarter armes with the Lord Christ, whom they serve … the Gospel. The Priests of the Law were to be neither … nor defective. And the Ministers of the … (for the word, Priest, is never used for such, by the Apostles, no nor by the … ancient Fathers, as Bellarmine …) must be foreign, … de …. …. ….stamps and paterns to the beleevers in word and conversation: every thing in them is eminent and exemplary. The world (though unjustly) looks for Angelicall perfection in them: and as the … deviation in a starre is soon noted, so is it in such. … happy he, that, (with Samuel, Daniel, Paul and others) can be acquitted and approved by himself, in private; in publike, by others; in both, … God: That can by his spotlesse conversation slaughter …, stop … open mouth, and draw … if not from the …, … from the … of the …, of his … and …. Mr Bradford the Martyr was had in so great … and … with all good men, that a …, … …. …. ….knew him but by fame, … his death: yea … number also of Papists themselves wished heartily his life: And of Mr Bucer it is reported, that he brought all men into such admiration of him, that neither his friends could sufficiently praise him, nor his enemies in any point finde fault with his singular life, andIbid. sincere doctrine. Bishop Hoopers life was so good, that no kinde of slander (although divers went about to reprove it) could fastenIbid. 1366. … morum …, ut nec bostes …. ….any fault upon him. And the mans life (saith Erasmus, concerning Luther, whom he greatly loved not) is approved of all men; neither is this any small prejudice to his enemies, that they can tax him for nothing.
Verse 15. Neither do men light a candle, to put it under a …, &c.]
Nor doth God set up a Minister, and so light a lynk Of foreign comes …, … Lynk or Torch.or torch (as the word here signifieth) amongst a people, but for the diffusing of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. The heavenly bodies illighten not their own2 Cor. 4 6. … only, but send forth their beams far and near. The grace of foreign Dicuntur foreign … repente … a oculos … in se convertunt. Chrysost. in 2 Tim.God (that is, the doctrine of grace) that bringeth salvation, hath appeared (or shone-forth, as a candle on a candlestick, or as a beacon on a hill) Teaching us to deny ungodlinesse, &c. The Priests lips must not only preserve knowledge, but also present it to the people, who shall seek it at his mouth. And … Baptist (that burning and shining light) was to give the knowledge of salvation, notTit. 2. 11, 12. by way of infusion (for so God only) but by way of instruction.Luk 1. 77. The same word (in the holy tongue) that signifieth to understand, foreignsignifieth also to instruct, and to …. They that teach others what they know themselves (as Abraham did those of his … Gen. 18. 19.and family) shall know more of Gods minde, yea they shallPsal. 25. 12. be (as Abraham was) both of his Court and Council. But the Lord likes not such empty vines, as (with Ephraim) bear fruit to themselves: Hos. 10. 1.such idle servants, as thrust their hands into their bosoms, dig their talents into the earth, hide their candles under a bed or bushel: living and lording it as if their lips were their own: barrelling and hoarding up their gifts, as rich cormorants do their corn: refusing to give down their milk, as curst kine: or resolving to speak no more, then what may breed applause and admiration of their worth and wisedom, as proud self-seekers. The … 1 Cor. 12. 7.of the spirit was given to profit withall. And the Philippians, foreignPhil. 1. 7.were all partakers (or compartners) of St Pauls grace; which2 Cor. 1. 11. he elsewhere calleth the gift bestowed on us, for many, that weGal. 5. 13. may serve one another in love; yea make our selves servants to all,1. Cor. 9. …. that we may … some. Certainly the gifts of such shall not perish in the use, or be the worse for wearing, but the better and brighter; as the torch by tapping: they shall grow in their hands, as the … in our Saviours, as the widows oyl, as that great mountain of salt in Spain, de quo quaentum demas, tantum …, ….which the more you take from it, the more it increaseth: Or lastlyforeign Epist. … ad Eustath. as the fountains or wells, which, by much drawing, are made better and sweeter, as St Basil observeth, and common experience confirmeth.
And it giveth light to all that are in the house.]
He that alloweth his servant a great candle, or two or three lesser lights, looks for more worke. God sets up his Ministers, as candles on the candlestick of his Church, to waste themselves (wax and week) for the lighting of men into life eteruall. Let them therefore see to it, that they worke hard, while the light lasteth, lest their candl:stick Rev. 2.be removed, lest the night surprize them on the sudden, when noneJoh. 12. can worke: lest they pay dear for those precious graces of his Spirit, in his faithfull Ministers, spent, or rather spilt upon them: … God cause the sun to go down at noon, and darken the earth in the clear day, A mos 8. 9.