Harmony of the Gospels, Section 2
SECT. II.
S. JOHN. CHAP. 1.
The fitnesse and necessity of the second Person in the Trinity, his being incarnate, and his being the Redeemer, rather then either of the other, asserted and prooved, by his being the Creator, the given of the promise, and substance and tenor of the types and Prophecies of the Old Testament.
IN the beginning was theaNot pronounced, but substantial, not the voice of an articulate speech, but the begotten substance of the divine efficacy. Ignat. Martyr. in epist. ad Magnes. So Clem. Alex. strom. 5. Word, and the Word was with God, and thebforeign The Article joyned to foreign sheweth that that is the Subject, & foreign that wanteth it the Predicate. Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was madecSome end the sentence here, and some but begin it, and some neither, but bring it a step further: Some point thus: All things were made by him, and without him was nothing made. That which was made in him was life. A reading which Chrysostom. Hom. 5. in Joh. saith was used by Hereticks, whereby to prove the Holy Ghost to be a Creature. And this is the very reading of the vulgar Latine. Others have read it thus: All things were made by him, and without him was nothing made which was made in him. And then they began a new sentence, Hee was life, &c A reading conceived to have been used by the Manichees, whereby to prove duo principia, a good, and a bad..
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shined in darknesse, and the darknesse comprehended it not.
6 TheredFrom Mal. 3. 1. & 4. 5. And thus do the two Testaments joyne together, was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witnesse, to beare witnesse of the Light, that all men through him might beleeve.
8 HeeeThe Baptist was a light, John 5. 35. but not that light that was to come: as the light of the three first daies of the Creation, without the Sun. was not that Light, but was sent to beare witnesse of that light.
9 That was the true Light,fIt may bee either read, which comming into the world, lighteth every man, or as our English hath it; which latter is approved the true. 1. By the very place where the word comming, or foreign lyeth, for it followeth not immediately the word foreign, but foreign, and so being joyned with it, reason and the custome of Grammar tell, that it should be construed with it. 2 It is ordinary among the Jews to call men by this Per…phrasis foreign such as come into the world, which Idio… of the Hebrews the Evangelist followeth here. The Syriak readeth as wee do. which lighteth every man that commeth into the world.
10 Hee was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 Hee came untogAs it were into his own house, or among his own people, as Joh. 16. 32. & 19 27. Act. 4. 23. & 21. 6. his own, and his ownhIn ver. 11. it is foreign in v. 12. it is foreign, which though they signifie the same thing, yet might some distinction of sense be observed in the distinction of words: For Christ came among the Jewes bodily, yet they would not so much as receive him bodily, nor acknowledge him for Messias at all; but comming among the Gentiles by his word and spirit, they received him spiritually. received him not.
12 But as many ashIn ver. 11. it is foreign in v. 12. it is foreign, which though they signifie the same thing, yet might some distinction of sense be observed in the distinction of words: For Christ came among the Jewes bodily, yet they would not so much as receive him bodily, nor acknowledge him for Messias at all; but comming among the Gentiles by his word and spirit, they received him spiritually. received him, to them gave hee power to become the Sons of God, even to them that beleeve on his name.
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, [and wee beheld his glory, the gloryiAs: foreign Kimchi in Miclol: as Numb. 11. 1. The people became as murmurers, Prov. 10. 20. The heart in the wicked is as little worth: that is very murmurers; very little worth: so here, The very glory of the onelyonly begotten. as of the onelyonly begotten of the Father] full of grace and truth.
Reason of the Order.
THe Preface being made, the story is to begin, and that it doth here from Christs Divinity, most Divinely. For whereas the other Evangelists begin their relations no further back, then from the birth or conception of our Saviour, or at the furthest, of his forerunner; John draws the Reader back to behold him in the Old Testament, in the Creation of the world, and in the promises to the Fathers. And therefore this portion is first to bee begun withall, and of it selfe will justifie its own order. Especially it being considered, that the person of Christ is first to bee treated of, before his actions, and in his person, the divine nature, [which John here handleth] before the humane.
Harmony and Explanation.
FRom Gen. 1. 1. the Evangelist sheweth that the redemption was to bee wrought by him by whom the Creation was, namely, by the Word, or the second Person in the Trinity, as being fittest for that great worke: as whereby co…fusion, both in the externall workes of the Trinity, as also in the terme of Sonship might bee avoided: In the externall workes of the Trinity, when the Creator of man became his Redeemer, and in the terme of Sonship, when the Son of God, and the Sonne of Man were but one and the same person.
Ver. 1. [The Word] Hee is so called in the Old Testament.2 Sam. 7. 2. For thy words sake, which in 1 Chr. 17. 19. is expressed, For thy servants sake, the title of Christ, Psal 4…. 2. First, as the Authour of the Creation, Psal. 33. 6. Secondly, as the Authour of the promise, 2 Sam. 7. 2. compared with 1 Chron. 17. 19. Thirdly, as the very Subject of the Covenant and promise it selfe, Hag. 2. 5. Deut. 30. 12. compared with Rom. 10. 6, 7. So that these things being laid together and well considered, they shew why John calleth the Son of God the Word, rather then by any other name. First, because hee would shew that as the world was created by the Son, so it was most fit it should bee redeemed. Secondly, that as in him the promise was given, so in him was fit should bee the performance. Thirdly, that as hee was the Subject of the Covenant in the Old Testament, so also was hee the Substance of it in the New.
From such places as these forenamed, where the Son of God is called the Word in the Old Testament, it became most familiar and ordinary among the Jewes to use this title personally for him. And this may bee a second reason deduced from that that was named before, why the Evangelist here useth it, namely as a name most familiarly and commonly known amongst his own people. Examples hereof might bee alledged out of the Chaldee Paraphrasts, even by hundreds: It will suffice to alledge some few, Gen. 28. 20, 21. If the word of the Lord will bee my helpe, &c. The word of the Lord shall bee my God, Exod. 19. 17. Moses brought forth the people to meet the word of the Lord, Esai. 1. 14. Your appointed Feasts my word abominateth, and ver. 16. Put away the evill of your doings from before my word, and Chap. 45. 2. My word shall goe before thee, &c. So Esay 48. 11. & 49. 5. 15. & 51. 5. Jer. 24. 6. & 27. 5. 18. & 29. 14. 23. Hos. 1. 7. 9. Zach. 2. 5. and in hundreds of other places: And so likewise in some of the writings of the Talmudists, and Philo Judaeus in lib. De mundi opificio, explaineth this title.
This terme, and in this sense also, was got even among the Heathen; for so Mercury Trismegistus useth it often in Pimandro: as, The will of God contained his word. And, God with his word produced another intellect, which is a fiery God, and a Divine Spirit. And againe, The word of God compacted the pure workmanship of nature. And, The working intellect together with the Word.
So likewise Orpheus, I adjure thee by the Heaven, &c. I adjure thee by the word of the Father.as hee is alledged by Justin Martyr.
foreign,
foreign, &c.
But Mahomet, in his Alcaron goeth yet further. Eise or Jesus (saith hee) is the word of God, and this being the word of God, is reputed among the Saracens as the proper name of Jesus Christ, so that no other man is called by this name, but Jesus onelyonly, whom in Arabick they call Eise. Sam. Maroch. lib. de advent. Messiae. cap. 27. Drus. in praeter. in loc.
*Prov. 8, 27. 30.And the word was with God, &c.] The Evangelist goeth not about so much, immediately to shew the eternity of the word, or of the second Person in the Trinity, as hee doth to declare how requisite it was that that Person should bee incarnate rather then the first or the third, because by him the Creation was wrought, and answerably by him it was fittest should bee the redemption, &c. Therfore the words in the beginning, have not reference to the words eternall being, but to his giving of being to the Creature: For as they are Moses his owne phrase, Gen. 1. 1. so are they to bee taken in his sense, and further back then the Creation it is not possible to bring his words, and by those of his must these bee understood. They trace not therefore his Divinity beyond the Creation, nor yet doe they find it to have begun there, but this they say onelyonly, that then the word, was, and by him were all things made. And this was enough for the answering of Ebion and Cerinthus, which held that Christ was not before the Virgin Mary: And this being concluded, that the word was in the beginning, and created all things, his eternall being before the Creation will readily inferre it selfe.
The Evangelist useth this manner of speech, The word with God.
First, to shew the subsistence of the Son of himselfe, and his co-existence with the Father; his subsistence, hee was, his co-existence, Hee was with God. Secondly, the distinction of the persons, Hee was with God, and the unity of Essence, hee was God. Thirdly, the relation between the Father and the Son; The Son is said to bee with the Father, as children are apud Patrem, but not è contra. Fourthly, the Phrase, Hee was with God, is in Antithesis, or opposition to that that is said afterward, The word dwelt among us; And this doth illustrate the doctrine and benefit of the incarnation the more, when it shall bee observed, that hee that in the beginning was the word, and was with God, and was the Creator, did in the fulnesse of time, become flesh, and dwell with men, and became their Redeemer.
[And the word was God] God in the clause next preceding is taken personally for God the Father, but here essentially for the Godhead.
Moses all along the Story of the Creation called God Elohim, by a word plurall, to denote the distinction of Persons; but at last, in Gen. 2. 4. hee calleth him Jehovah Elohim, to signifie also the unity of Essence. So David when hee had spoken of the Lord and his word, 2 Sam. 7. 21. amd the Lord, and his Servant, 1 Chron. 17. 19. Hee presently concludeth, that there is but one God, though those titles might seem to make them more. There is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, ver. 22. So the Evangelist here, when hee hath named The Word, and God, and the word being with God, as two persons distinct one from another, lest this distinction should breed the supposall of difference, and the mention of more persons, the surmisall of more Gods, hee preventeth betimes, and stoppeth all such misconstructions by saying, The word was God.
Ver. 2. [The same was in the beginning with God] Hee had said, the same thing immediately before, but not in the same respect. For there hee spake of the words co-existency with the Father, as hee explaineth himselfe after it, The word was God; but here hee speaketh of the words co-working with the Father in the workes of the Creation, and accordingly explaineth himselfe after also, By him were all things made.
Ver. 3. [By him were all things made] Not as an instrumentall cause onelyonly, as the Arians pleaded, but as the efficient; For so the word By often importeth. 1 Cor. 1. 9. 1 Thes. 5. 24. 2 Cor. 1. 1. Prov. 8. 15, 16. Ephes. 1, 1. Col. 1. 1. And so may i… bee understood, Col. 1. 16.
[And without him was nothing made that was made.] In this place there hath been great difference of readings, as was observed before, as see Chrys. in loc. Vulg. lat. Alcum. in loc. &c. but Ignatius Martyr, Epist. ad Antioch. Tatianus in Harmon: Chrysostome in loc. and other of the ancients, and the Arbick, Syriack, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, and all Latin… translations that are not wedded to the vulgar, read as wee doe; and so the very sense of the place requireth to read: And so some of the Romanists themselves read, forsaking their own vulgar: as the Rhemists in margin: Maldon it. &c. For how crabbed, harsh and strained a sense the best is, that can bee made of their reading; see in Alcuin: in loc. Victorin: adversus Arium. lib. 3. Aquin. par. 1. quaest. 18. art. 4.
Concerning the repetition of this, it being the same in effect with that before, All things were made by him; observe, that first, it is to heighten the expression, or to inforce the sense: for so the Hebrewes usually doe by an affirmative and negative in the same sentence, as 2 King. 20. 15. Jer. 38. 25. Lam. 3. 2. Secondly, that the two distinct clauses may seem to distinguish of the Creatures, and in the affirmative to understand the visible Creatures, which Moses had taught evidently were made by the Word; and in the negative, the invisible, of which there might bee the more doubt, whether they were made by him or no, because Moses hath made no such plain expression. Or, thirdly, that the affirmative may meane the Words creating of all things, and the negative his disposall and ordering of all things; foreign, without him was nothing that hath been; either created, or disposed, as Joh. 5. 17.
Ver. 4. [In him was*Deut. 30. 20. Ps. 66. 9. Prov. 4. 13. Joh 5. 24 & 6. 35. & 20. 31. Col. 3. 3, 4. 1 Joh, 5. 12. life,] This hath allusion to Adams naming his wife Eve, or life, upon the apprehension of the promise given him after his fall, Gen. 3. 15.
And the Evangelist having considered the Word in the former verse, as the Authour of Nature, hee commeth now to treat of him as the Authour of Grace: there, as the Creator; here, as the Redeemer. For having related there, that by him all things were made, and amongst all things man received his naturall life and being: hee goeth on now to shew, that by the same Word also, man when hee was falne and perished, and had incurred the penalty of dying the death, hee re-obtained a new and a better life, namely by faith, and laying hold upon him in the promise, as Heb. 2. 4.
[And the life was the light*Eph. 5. 14. 1 Pet. 2. 9. 1 Joh. 2 8. of men] The life of the promise was the light that shone in the world, and to which all the Patriarchs and Prophets, and all the holy Men of God, that lived before the fulfilling of it, had an eye and respect as to a light shining in a darke place, and whereby they guided all their devotione, and whereto they aimed all their actions:foreign And this light then shone, and yet shineth in all the types, shadowes, figures, and predictions of the Law, and of the Prophets, as wee daily read them, and that darknesse*See Isa. 25. 7. & 32. 3. & 9. 30. 2 Cor. 3. 13. Heb. 12. 18. and mysticall cloudinesse which lay over them, did not comprehend it, but that it gave some shine in that obscurenesse; And yet did they not reach to that brightnesse of revealing of Christ, but that it was necessary that the Gospell should bee Preached: the beginning of which is mentioned in the very next verse, namely the Preaching of John.
Ver. 6. [There was a man sent, &c.] Here may the Reader looke backe, and see the method and intention of the Evangelist, and the reason why hee calleth him by this name the Word, rather then any other. For first, hee was the Word by whom all things, and among them man, were created. Secondly, The Word, by which man, being falne, was recovered and obtained life. Thirdly, The Word of light, direction, and consolation to the holy Patriarchs. Fourthly, The Word of promise, in the darknesse of the Law and Prophets: And hee is now come to bee the Word incarnate, and the publisher of the Gospel, which began from John, Mark. 1. 1. And thus hath the Evangelist made the whole Old Testament, no other then availed Gospel, speaking of Christ, though somewhat obscurely, from the beginning to the end. As in the Creation, ver. 3. In the promise, ver. 4. In the expectation of the Fathers, ibid. Fifthly, In the darknesse of the Law and Prophets, ver. 5. And sixthly, in the necessity of a clearer revelation of him by his owne comming, ibid.
Ver. 7. To beare witnesse of the light, &c.] The light in this verse, and those that follow, is taken personally for Christ himselfe, whereas in ver. 4, 5. it was taken vertually onelyonly there, for the light that flowed from Christ, and therefore it is said that light was in him: here for Christ the light it selfe, for so is hee called, ver. 9. See Isai. 10. 17. and 42. 6. & 49. 6. Mic. 7. 6. Num. 24. 17. Psal. 84. 1. Mal. 4. 2. &c. For first, Christ revealeth the Father and his will, Joh. 1. 18. & 16. 25. and whatsoever maketh manifest is light, Ephes. 5. 13. Secondly, Hee is the brightnesse of the glory, and expresse image of the Father, Heb. 1. 3. who is a light without any darknesse at all, 1 Joh. 1. 5. Thirdly, Hee inlightneth the hearts of his by Faith, Ephes. 5. 14. Fourthly, Christ held out in the Gospel, filled the world full of the light of knowledge, in comparison of what it was under the Law, Isai. 11. 9. Psal. 19. 3.
[That all might beleeve] The word All joyneth the Gentiles with the Jewes, which hitherto had been secluded: And in the same sense is Christs Lightning of every one that commeth into the world, foreign ver. 9. to bee understood for his generall and universall inlightning of the world, with the shining of the Gospel: For there is a comparison made here by the Evangelist, betwixt the light of the promise under the Law, and the light of the Gospel and Christ in it.
Ver▪ 10. [Hee was in the world.] Not vertually and invisibly onelyonly, in his power and providence, but even visibly, sensibly, and apparently, in audible voyce and conspicuous shape, before hee came in humane nature, as Gen. 15. and 18. and 32. Exod. 3. Josh. 6. yea, even to the sight and hearing of wicked and heathen men, …. 4. and 20. and 21. and 31. Dan. 3. 24, 25. Exod. 14.
Ver. 11. [Hee came among his ….] This speaketh of his incarnation, and of his owne Nation the Jewes, amongst whom hee came and conversed in humane flesh, yet they refused him. They were his … by choice, Deut. 7. 6. by purchase, Exod. 19. 4▪ 5. by Covenant, Deut. 26. 18. and by kindred, Heb. 2. 16.
Ver. 12. [*or Priviledge, dignity, or licence, as foreign i… used 1 Cor. 8. 9. and 9. 5, 6. … 5. 4. Mat. 7. 29. foreign; Arist. E…h. 8. Power to become the Sons of God] The people of the Church, are called the Sons of God, Gen. 6. 2. And after the dispersion at Babel [where the Heathen became the Sons of men, Gen. 11. 5.] this title was appropriated onelyonly to the Jewes, Exod. 4. 22. Ho…. 11. 1. But now when the Jewes, Christs owne people, should not receive him when hee so came amongst them, this priviledge should bee conferred upon what Heathen or Gentiles so ever should receive him, that they should bee henceforward, as the Jewes had been hitherto, the Sons of God, or the Church of Christ.
[That beleeve on his Name.] That is, In, or On him: For the Name of God in Scripture, doth often stand for God himselfe, as Psal. 71. 1. Mic, 6. 9. Act. 3. 16. &c. For God is without any … or composition on, but a most pure and simple essence, and therefore his name and himselfe are not two severall things, as they bee in the creatures, but one and the same, R. Menahem… on Exod. 6….
Ver. 13. [Which are born, Not of God.] Greek: Not of bl…d… in the plurall number. That is not of the kindred, descent, or continued Pedegree from the Patriarchall line, or the blood of Abrah…m, Isaac, Jacob, and successively! For John the Evangelist speaketh much to the same tenor here, that John the Baptist doth, Mat. 3. 9. That Christ would adopt the Heathen for the Sons of God, as the Jewes had beene, though they had no relation at all to the Jewish blood or stock.
[Nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man.] The Evangelist hath traced Moses all along from the beginning of the Chapter, and so he doth here. He used the phrase of the Sons of God, in the Verse preceding, from Gen. 6. 2. And this Clause that wee have in hand, he seemeth to take from the very next Ver. after; My Spirit shall no more strive with man, because hee also is flesh: Where, as Moses by flesh, understandeth the brood of Cain, men that followed the swinge of lust, sensuality, and their owne corruption: and by Man, the Family of Seth, … Adam, that was regulated by Religion and reason, till that Family grew also fleshly like the other: so doth John here the like. For having in the next foregoing words, excluded one maine thing [that was much stood upon] from any claime or challenge, towards the adopting of the Sons of God, or forwarding of the new birth, and that is descent from Abraham, and from those holy men successively, that had the promise: So doth he here as much for two other, which onelyonly can put in for title to the same; and those are,Apollinaris from this clause, the word became flesh, would wickedly conclude, that the word assumed not an humane soule, but onelyonly humane flesh, and that the Godhead served that flesh instead of a reasonable soule. Confuted, Luke 5. 52. Mat. 26. 38. first, the will of the flesh, or ability of nature; Secondly, the will of man, or power of morality.
Verse 14. [And the word became Flesh,] Now hath the Evangelist brought us to the great Mystery of the Incarnation, in the description of which may be observed; First, the two termes, the word, and Flesh, expressing Christs two natures; and the word was made, or became, their hypostaticall union. Secondly, the word flesh is rather used by the Evangelist, then the word man; though oftentimes they signify but the same thing, as Gen. 6. 12. Psal. 65. 2. Isa. 40. 5, 6.
First to make the difference and distinction of the two natures in Christ, the more conspicuous; and that according to the common speech of the Jewes, who set flesh and blood in opposition to God, as Matth. 16. 17. Gal. 1. 16.
Secondly, to magnifie the mercy of God in Christs incarnation, the more, in that flesh being in its owne nature, so farre distant from the nature of God; yet that hee thus brought these two natures together, as of them to make but one person for the reconcilling of man and himselfe together.
Thirdly, to confirme the truth of Christs humanity, against future Heresies, which have held that he had not a true and reall humane body, but only Fantasticall, or of the aire.
Fourthly, to explaine what he said before, that Peleevers became the Sonnes of God; that is, not by any change of their bodily substances, but by participation of divine grace: for Christ on the contrary, became the Sonne of Man, by assuming of flesh, and not by changing into it.
Fifthly, to shew the Plaister fitly applyed unto the Sore, and the Physicke to the Disease; for whereas in us, that is, in our flesh, there dwelleth no good, but sin, death, and corruption; hee tooke upon him this very nature, which we have so corrupted, sequestring onelyonly the corruption from it, that in the nature he might heale the corruption.
Sixthly, he saith, he was made or became flesh, and not hee was made man, lest it should be conceived that Christ assumed a person; for he tooke not the person of any man in particular, but the nature of man in generall.
[Was made flesh,] Not by alteration, but assumption; not by turning of the God-head into flesh, but by taking of the Man-hood into God; not by leaving what hee was before, that is, to be God, but by taking on him what he was not before; that is, to be man.
And the Evangelist saith rather, He was made flesh, then he assumed it. i. e. that he might set out the truth and mystery of the incarnation to the life, both for the hypostaticall union of the two natures, and their inseparability, being so united. For, first, whereas Nestorius said, that the word was not that man that was conceived and born of the Virgin Mary; but that the Virgin indeed brought forth a man, and hee having obtained grace in all kind of vertue, had the word of God united unto him, which gave him power against uncleane Spirits; And so he made two severall Sons, and two severall persons of the two natures: his Heresie is plainly and strongly confuted by this phrase, he was made flesh, which by the other, he consumed it, might have had more pretext and colour. Secondly, whereas E…tyches, Valenti…us, and other… averred, that Christ had not a true humane body, but onelyonly a body in appearance: This also confuteth them home, and taketh away all probability of any such thing, which the word assumed might have left more doubtfull; since we know that Angels assumed bodies, and those bodies were no… truly humane: So that in this manner of speech, The word was made flesh, is evidently taught: First, that there are two distinct natures in Christ, the God head, and the Man-hood; for hee saith not, the Word was turned into, but was made, or became flesh. Secondly, that these two natures doe not constitute two persons, but onelyonly one Christ, for he saith, hee was made flesh, and not assumed it. Thirdly, that this union is hypostaticall, or personall; for he saith, the Word was made flesh, and not joyned to it. And lastly, that this union is indissoluble and never to be separated: For Angels in assumed bodies laid them by againe, and were parted from them, but the the word being made flesh, the union is personall, and not to bee dissolved.
[And dwelt … us, &c.] That is, among us his Disciples: for so the next clause, we saw his glory, importeth: And this Evangelist speaketh the same thing more at large, 1 Joh. 1. 1.
[Full of grace and truth.] For these words follow next in Grammaticall construction and connexion; lying thus. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. The reason of the Parenthesis, and we saw his glory. may seeme to bee: First, because hee would explaine what he meant by VsUs, before he left it, viz. us Disciples, that saw his glory, Secondly, because the Apostles be held not the very fulnesse of his grace and truth, till they had beheld the fulnesse of that glory, which he shewed on earth.
[Grace and truth.] As the Soule hath two noble faculties, the understanding and the will, the objects of which are, ver… & …, [truth and goodnesse…] so the whole tenor of Scripture doth run upon these two, and they are indeed the summe of all, as Psal. 25. 10. and 40. 12. and 36. 5. and 138. 2. Hos. 2. 19. &c. Now Christ being the substance of the promises, which had their originall from grace, and their performance in truth; they being in him yea, and in him Amen; the Evangelist saying, that he dwe: among us, full of grace and truth; holdeth out that hee was the performance and accomplishment of all the promises of grace, and the truth of all the types and prophecies before the Law, and under it, that tended to such a purpose; and in him was the fulnesse of that mercy and truth, that the Patriarchs, Prophets, and holy men looked after, and hee the whole tenor, scope, and subject of the Scriptures.