God-Man, Exposition
ΘΕἈΝΘΡΩΠΟΣ. OR, GOD made MAN.
JOHN 1. ver. 1.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
ANcient Records tell us, That before the firſt Writing of this Book, The Churches of God ſet upon the Work of Faſting, and Prayer, by the Appointment of St. John; That ſo they might ſeek Divine aſſiſtance. How much more need have I, at this time, to beg your Prayers before I begin (and all the while I ſhall continue) to expound this Glorious Goſpell. It is therefore my hearty and humble requeſt to you all, that your Prayers may neither be denied, nor ſparingly put up for me; That, as Auguſtine pray'd for himſelfe in reference to the whole Scriptures; Domine, ſint Caſtae deliciae meae, Scripturae Sanctae. Lord let thy holy Scriptures be my chaſt delight. Nec fallar in iis, nec fallam alios ex iis. Let me neither be deceived in them, nor let me deceive others out of them. So, that you would pray on my behalfe; That I may neither my ſelfe be deceived in the miſ-underſtanding of the ſublime places of this Book, not miſ-guide you by giving you either falſe, or impertinent Interpretations of them. What progreſſe I ſhall make herein, God onelyonly knoweth. But in the Confidence of His aſſiſtance, not in mine owne ſtrength, (which I acknowledge to be farre below many others) I ſhall enter upon this firſt Chapter, after I have premiſed, by way of preface, ſomething concerning
The Title
of this ſublime book.
The Writer
The Occaſion
The Scope
And likewiſe, ſomething concerning the Difference, between it and the other Three Goſpells.
Firſt for the Title. It is a Goſpell. The Goſpell according to St. John. foreign. The word ſignifieth Glad-tidings, Salvation by Chriſt imparted, gladdeth the heart.good newes. No tydings in the world ſo good as thoſe that impart Salvation by Chriſt. And that Meſſage was never ſo clearely delivered as under the New Teſtament; though under the Old it was, but more obſcurely. Therefore though there were Goſpell in the Old Teſtament, yet yee do not find it called foreign, but foreign, the Promiſes. But, in the New Teſtament, this meſſage goeth under a new name of foreign, namely the Goſpel, Rom. 1. 1. Paul a ſervant of Jeſus Chriſt, called to be an Apoſtle, ſeparate to the Goſpell of God. The four firſt Books of the New Teſtament, becauſe they do moſt lively hold forth to you the Hiſtory of Chriſt's Incarnation, and Converſation, and Paſſion, and Reſurrection, and Aſcenſion, and his Sermons, and Miracles; Therefore they are called peculiarly by this name of Goſpell. All the other Books they do but inlarge, and apply, and illuſtrate theſe four Evangeliſts. Even as all the Prophets under the Old Teſtament, were but as ſo many Commentators upon Moſes. Now, if it be lawfull to compare Scripture with Scripture, for ſome kind of difference there is. As in pieces of Gold, though all be pure Gold, yet ſome have a clearer ſtamp then others: So all divine truths in Scripture, are divine truths; yet there is a clearer truth in ſome places, then in others. Therefore you Evangelium Sancti Iohannis eſt Evangelium Evangeliorum.may call this of John, The Goſpell of Goſpells; as Solomon's Song was called, the Song of Songs. If it be lawfull to compare Scripture, with Scripture. He that brings glad Tydings, we ſay, He may knock at any man's door; Here are glad Tydings indeed! The Goſpell, what is that? Certainly, glorious things are ſpoken of Thee, Oh Thou Goſpell of God, as he ſaid of the City of God. Glorious things, &c. It is called the Glorious Goſpell of the Bleſſed God. Such a phraſe you have, 1 Tim. 1. 11. according to the Glorious Goſpell of the Bleſſed God, which is committed to my truſt. It is called, elſe where, The Goſpell of the Kingdome. There is no coming to Heaven, but by the Goſpell, Math. 4. 23. Preaching the Goſpell of the Kingdome. It is called the Goſpell of Peace, Rom. 10. 16. How beautifull are the feet of them that Preach the Goſpell of peace, and bring glad Tydings of good things? It is called the Goſpell of the Grace of God, Acts 20. 24. That I might finiſh my Courſe with joy, and the Miniſtry which I have received of the Lord Jeſus, to teſtifie the Goſpell of the Grace of God. Would you then have Glory, or Peace, or Grace, or Kingdome, liſten then to the Goſpell. So much for the Title.
Secondly, for the Writer of this Book, The Pen-man of it; It is John. The Goſpell according to John. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, theſe four drew the Chariot in which Chriſt rid all the World over. And amongſt them four, John hath a kind of preheminency. The Ancients are wont to compare theſe four, to thoſe four beaſts in Ezekiel, Ezek. 1. 10.who had the faces of a Man, of an Oxe, of a Lyon, and of an Eagle: and they make John the Eagle, becauſe he ſoareth aloft more than all the reſt in the Contemplation of Chriſt's Divinity. The Eagle maketh his Neſt on high, as it is in Job. The Eagle can do that, which the other fouls of the aire are not able to do. It can look upon the Sun in its higheſt beauty. Behold the Eagle of the Goſpell looking upon Chriſt in his Divine nature, and expreſſing that more then all the other Evangeliſts. They that are given to Divine ſpeculation, know the flight of this Eagle. You that would be heavenly-minded, liſten to what John telleth you. John John's Title.whom the Lord loveth. That is his Title. There was leaning on Jeſus Boſome one of his Diſciples, whom Jeſus loved. The likelier man to reveale ſecrets; who was in the Boſome of Chriſt. We are wont to communicate our ſecrets to our friends, to thoſe whom we love moſt. You may expect to hear of Chriſts ſecrets from the Diſciple whom Jeſus loved. And therefore, ſaith Auguſtine, John drew out of the boſome Chriſts ſecrets are revealed to his beſt beloved ones.of Chriſt, the very Heart of Chriſt, what he was about to make known to the World. The King ſendeth a meſſenger to you, and by his Favourite; you expect to know the whole mind of the Prince, becauſe his Favourite is the meſſenger. Here is the Diſciple whom Chriſt loved. And not onelyonly ſo, but John the Sonne of Thunder, that is a true Title of his, which onelyonly he and his brethren ſhared in, Mark 3. 17. James the ſonne of Zebedee, and John the brother of James. He nameth them Boanerges, which is, the ſonnes of Thunder, to rowſe men from ſecurity. Here is Thunder in the Goſpell. So many Words, ſo many Thunder-Claps. John was now to deal with deſperate Heretiques, That denied the Divinity of Chriſt; and here is Thunder for them, enough to affright them all. Junius was not able to ſtand Junius how converted.before the force of this Thunder-clap. He himſelfe telleth us, That in his youth he was given to Atheiſm, and drowned in Curſed principles; and the firſt thing that brought him to the Knowledge of a God, was the beginning of this Chapter of John; He caſt his eyes upon theſe words, and profeſſed, that he was not himſelfe of a long time after; he ſ…w ſo much Majeſty therein beyond all humane Rhetorick, that he was not himſelfe of a long time after. This, Junius (that Tranſlated the Bible) ſpeaketh of himſelfe. There is a miſtake amongſt people, as if there were no powerfull preaching, but that which is Clamorous preaching. As if the goodneſſe of a mans Sermon were to be made out of the goodneſſe of his Longues, and not out of the matter; by the goodneſſe of the delivery, and not by the ſublimity of the Doctrine. Here is John, the meekeſt of the Diſciples, the moſt beloved Diſciple of them all, a Man of a meek ſpirit, as we read in his Story, yet this John hath ſomething of Thunder in him. How? By the effect of his Doctrine, not by the height of his voyce. As it is ſaid of Pericles, a great and famous Orator in Athens; He Thundered, and ratled in his ſpeech. And ſo John in his Doctrine; the ſonne of Thunder in that reſpect.
Thirdly, you muſt Conſider the occaſion of John's writing this Goſpell. When the Paſtor was abſent, the Wolves broke in upon the Flock. When John was baniſhed into Patmos by Domitian, Ebion and Cerinthus, and other Heriticks The reaſons why the Goſpel of Iohn was written.there were, that denied the Divinity of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and this occaſioned John, as they ſay, to write this Goſpell, wherein he aſſerteth the Godhead of Chriſt; And ſo, by the way, occaſionally yee ſee what uſe even Heriticks are made of to the Church of God. We had loſt this Goſpell, if Ebion and Cerinthus had not broached their hereſies. God ſuffereth deſperate opinions to be vented for the purging of his owne Truth. The Truth of God is compared to Silver. The words of the Lord are pure, yea, as Silver tried in a furnace of Earth, purified ſeven times. Every corrupt opinion that cometh to be vented againſt any Truth of God, that is a new furnace; and the truth being caſt into that furnace, it cometh out the purer for it. Purified ſeven times. As it is with Paſſengers of quality and note, were it not for ſome evill inveterate Currs in the ſtreet, they might paſſe, and never be obſerved; the very barking of the Dogs maketh them to be noted. So theſe evill inveterate Corrupt Hereticks, by their barking, have occaſioned the taking notice of that truth of the Divinity of Chriſt. Had not they barked, John had not Written. This was the occaſion. And this ſhould incourage you to attention; becauſe the ſame Hereticks are with us now: we have our owne Ebions, and Cerinthuſſes to this day, that deny the Divinity of Chriſt, and ſay, He had no being till he took it from the Virgin Mary.
Fourthly, we come to the Scope of this Book, which is to hold out the Divine nature of Chriſt, as the object of our Faith, to ſet forth Chriſt as the Sonne of God, that we believe in Him, ſo, as to have Salvation by Him. And This St. John telleth you, to have been his aime, Joh. 20. 31. Theſe are written, that you might believe, that Jeſus is the Chriſt, the Sonne of God, and that believing you might have Life through Him. He deſires to ſet forth Chriſt to us as our Redeemer, and therefore laboureth ſo much, both in the beginning of his Goſpell, and throughout, to hold forth the Godhead, and Divine nature of Chriſt, That ſo it might appear that he is a ſufficient Redeemer. If He had not been God, He could not have gon through with the purchaſe. As the Eagle trieth her young ones, by holding them againſt the beams of the Sun; and, if they be able to look upon them with a ſtedfaſt eye, ſhe owneth ſuch: So John bringeth his Readers to the Sun of the Divinity of Chriſt, and ſuch as will not acknowledge that, are baſtard-Chriſtians, and not Saints.
Fifthly, One thing yet remaineth, by way of preface; which is the difference between this and the other Goſpells: which lieth eſpecially in two things.
Firſt, whereas the three former Evangeliſts, inſiſt eſpecially upon things done by Chriſt, after John was caſt into Priſon; and ſo principally relate the acts of Chriſt, in the laſt year of his Miniſtry: St. John taketh in here the acts of his two former years: what Chriſt did, and what Chriſt ſaid, before John was caſt into Priſon: which the other touch but ſparingly upon.
Secondly, whereas the other Evangeliſts inſiſt mainly upon what Chriſt did; Saint John relateth eſpecially what Chriſt ſaid. They are much more large in recording his Miracles, John in recording his Sermons, and Prayers, as Chap. 15. Some Miracles indeed he relateth to us, but they are ſuch, as wake may either for his Diſcourſe with the Diſciples, or for his diſputation with his Adverſaries. So ſtill he ſeemed more to take notice of what Chriſt ſaid, then what he did.
I now prepare you to be attentive: for I begin to cloſe with the firſt Chapter, and with theſe firſt words of the Chapter, which are of ſo great importance, That, as I told you before, they had a moſt extraordinary force upon Junius his ſpirit; and beſides, upon one Numenius, a Heathen Philoſopher. That falling upon this Goſpell, cried out in a kind of indignation, This Barbarian, ſaith he; (for ſo the Greeks call the Jews) hath concluded more in a few lines, than our great Philoſophers have in all their Books; He was ſo taken with the myſtery of theſe words! For they are words which the moſt quick-ſighted Chriſtian can be hardly able to ſee through. And throughout, I ſhall indeavour to make it as plain, as God ſhall inable me. OnelyOnly ye muſt not take it amiſſe, if ſome things ſhall be left obſcure. Auguſtine ſaith, I will not defraud thoſe that are able to underſtand, for fear of being irksome, to them, that are not able. Do but think your ſelves at a feaſt. When many gueſts are invited to a feaſt, They are of ſeverall Conſtitutions, and like ſeverall diſhes. But now, Shall a man that ſeeth ſuch a diſh before him, to which he hath no ſtomack, preſently riſe from the Table? No, he will perhaps think with himſelfe, Other men may like this diſh: So it ſhould be taken here. Suppoſe ſomething be too hard for thee, it may perhaps be clear to another. Paul is a debtor to the wiſe, and to the unwiſe; therefore let none ariſe and goe away, but let every man expect his portion. Do you hope, that whatſoever difficult paſſages there are in the Scriptures, yet there will be ſome full of Light and Comfort. To cloſe then, with the firſt verſe.