Commentary on John, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Verſe 2. The Feaſt of Tabernacles]
THe Jews at this feaſt dwelt without doors, in boothes and bowers, in remembrance of their wandring of old thorow the wi…derneſſe. This gave occaſion to Plutarch, and other prophane Heathens, to deviſe and broach ſo many baſe lyes of the Jews, as if they were worſhippers of Bacchus. Florus cals the Temple of Jeruſalcm, Plut. foreign. cap. 5.impiae gentis arcanum. Another tels us, that the Jews were forced to reſt every ſeventh day, for an evil diſeaſe they had cleaving unto them.
Verſe 5. For neither did his brethren beleeve] This the Jewes at this day read with much wonderment; and take occaſion from this Text, Blunts voyage into Lev. 115.to ſlander our Saviours miracles, as nothing ſo manifeſt as we conceive them, ſith his own kinred beleeved not in him.
Verſe 11. Where is he?] Not, where is Jeſus? they could not finde in their hearts to call him by his name, they were ſo full of malice againſt him. So Joſephs brethren called him not Ioſeph, but the Dreamer: Saul asked not for David, but the Son of Ieſſe. Act. and Mon. fol. 810.After Stephen Brune the Martyr was put to death, his adverſaries commanded it to be cried, That none ſhould make any more mention of him, under pain of hereſic. And ubicunque invenitur nomen Calvini, Luk 6.22.delcatur, ſaith the Index expargatorius. But what ſaith our Saviour, Bleſſed are ye, when men ſhall hate you, Tacit. Annal.and caſt out your name as evil, for the Son of mans ſake. The wiſe Hiſtorian obſerved, that the Statues of Brutus and Caſſius, eo praefulgebant, quodnon viſebantur. And Cato ſaid, he had rather men ſhould queſtion why he had no Statue or Monument erected to him, then why he had?
Verſe 13. For fear of the Jews] Who had made an order (it ſeems) ſomewhat like that of the Jeſuites edict at Dola in the Countrey of Burgundy, that for prevention of hereſie, no man ſhould ſpeak of God, either in good ſort, or bad. This the Jewes did, 1. Heylin Geo. pag. 125.To ſave themſelves a labour of confuting our Saviours doctrine. 2. To perſwade the people that it was ſuch horrible blaſphemy, as was not fit to be named. So the Papiſts debar the people all ſound of the Religion, in prohibiting the books of the rformed Writers, and hiding their own Treatiſes, wherin the Tenet of the Proteſtants is recited, only to be confuted: Heyl. Geog. pag. 189.ſo that you ſhall ſeldome in all Italy meet with Bellarmines works, or any of the like nature to be ſold.
Verſe 20. Thou hast a devil] This he paſſeth by as a frontleſſe ſlander, not worth refuting: but proceeds to maintain the lawfulneſſe of that he had done on the Sabbath-day. Sincerity throwes off ſlanders, as Paul did the Viper; yea, in an holy ſcorn, it laughs at them, as the wilde aſſe doth at the horſe, and his rider. Wicelius and Cochleus ſay, that we betraied the Rhodes (ſaith Melancthon) and ſome other ſuch foul buſineſſes they lay to our charge. Dicant ipſi talia quoad velint.Theſe are ſuch groſſe lyes, that we need not diſprove them: let them tell as many ſuch lyes of us as they will, &c. our names are oyled, they will not ſtick.
Verſe 22. Ye on the Sabbath-day circumciſe] q. d. If you may wound a man on the Sabbath-day, may not I heal one? If you may heal on the Sabbath one member of the circumciſed, may not I make a man whole every whit? If you may be at pains to cure ſuch a one with your hand; may not I without pains cure a man with my word only? What if circumciſion be a Sacrament? Arbitror nonnal os opinaturos me ſenſiſſe quod non ſenſi, a …t non ſenſiſſe quod ſenſi, Aug. de Trin, lib. 1. cap. 3.ſo was this that I have done, a ſpeciall means of bringing much glory to God.
Verſe 24. Indge not according to the appearance] Nothing is more ordinary with many, then to precipitate a cenſure, to exerciſe their criticks, and to reprehend that which they do not comprehend. I ſuppoſe, ſaith Auguſtine, that divers in reading ſome places in my books, will think that I thought, Annal tom. 6. ad An. 450. n. 17.that which never came into my minde to think, and the contrary. This was his fear, and this befell him, as Baronius witneſſeth. Eraſm. epiſt. ad Cardinal. Moguntin.Compertum est, ſaith Eraſmus; It is well known, that many points are condemned as hereticall in Luthers books; which in Auſtins and Bernards books are read, and received for good and orthodox. Hill in his quartem of reaſons, ſaith, The Catholikes follow the Bible, but the Proteſtants force the Bible to follow them. Reaſ. 8. pag. 41.And the Authour of the Gagge for the new Goſpel aſſures his Catholikes, that our condemnation is ſo expreſly ſet down in our own Bibles, Pref. to the Cathol. Reader.and is ſo cleer to all the world, that nothing more needs hereto, then that they know to read, and to have their eyes in their heads, at the opening of our Bible. Qui totam li. em D…nicam vacat ten ulentiae, ſcor. tis & alcae. an dit bellus ho. mo &c. Ernſ. Schol. in Epiſt. ad Epiſc. Baſil. de delectu ciborum. Iſal. 119.This is their judgment of us. But what among themſelves? He that taſtes an egge, ſaith Eraſmus, at an undue time, is caſt in priſon, and made to anſwer for his hereſie: but he that ſpends all the Lords-day in drinking, drabbing, dicing, is called a good fellow, and paſſeth unpuniſhed.
Verſe 27. No man knoweth whence he is] This errour might ariſe out of ſome Texts of Scripture miſunderſtood, as Iſa. 53.8. Pſal. 110.4. We ſhould whenever we open the Bible, pray, Lord, open mine eyes, that I may ſee the wondrous things of thy Law.
Verſe 28. Ye both know me] Either this is an Ironie, or elſe a heavy aggravation of their ſin; a proofe that they ſinned that ſin unto death, 1 Ioh. 5.16. for which there remains no more ſacrifice, Heb. 10.26. Two ſorts of men in our times are in danger of this ſin. 1. Hypocriticall profeſſours. 2. Thoſe they call the Wits of the world, your moſt knowing men.
Verſe 33. Yet a little while am I with you] Chriſt is but a while with men in the opportunities of grace. There is a prime of mans life, yea, a prime of every mans miniſtery. Chriſt ſtands (not ſits at the door) and knocks. Now while one is ſtanding, he is going.
Verſe 34. Ye ſhall ſeek me, &c.] Becauſe ye ſhall dye in your ſins, which is worſe then to dye in a ditch.
Verſe 35. Teach the Gentiles] Which the Jews could not endure to think on. They profeſſe at this day, that rather then the Heathen-baſtards ſhould have benefit by their Meſſias, they would crucifie him over and over, Goi Mamzer.Luk. 4.25. The ruſticks of Nazareth underſtood our Saviour of preaching to the Gentiles, which put them into an anger, and him into a danger.
Verſe 36. What manner of ſaying is this?] He would not tell the Jews what he meant by this dark ſaying. His Diſciples he told afterwards, Pſal. 25.chap. 13. and 16. The ſecret of the Lord is with them that fear him: when the wicked ſhall be neither of his Court, nor Councell.
Verſe 37, 38. In the laſt day] In this eighth day (which the Jews called Hoſanna Rabbah) they read the laſt ſection of the Law, Tremel. ex Talmud.and likewiſe began the firſt; leſt they might otherwiſe ſeem more joyfull in ending their ſections, then willing to begin them. Upon this day alſo, by the inſtitution (ſay they) of Haggai and Zechary, (but more likely, by their own ſuperſtition) they did, with great ſolemnity and joy, Godw. Antiq. Heb.bring great ſtore of water from the River Shiloah to the Temple; where it being delivered unto the Prieſts, it was poured upon the Altar, together with wine; and all the people ſang that of the Prophet Iſa. 12.3. with joy ſhall ye draw water out of the Wels of ſalvation. Hereunto our Saviour is thought to allude, Verſ. 38. Out of his belly ſhall flow Rivers of water; provided, that he beleeve in me, ſo as the Scripture ſaith, he ſhould. For ſo (after Chryſoſtome) Heinſius De-dieu, and others expound it.
Verſe 41. Shall Chriſt come out of Galilee?] Satan, (that ſubtle Sophiſter) though he confeſſed Chriſt to be the Holy One of God, Mark. 1.24. Yet he calleth him Jeſus of Nazareth, to nouriſh the errour of the multitude, that thought he was born there, and ſo not the Meſſias. Neither did his cunning deceive him, as here appeareth. Satan etſi ſemel videatur verax, millies eſt mendax, Bucholcerus.& ſemper fallax, ſaith one. Diabolus capite blanditur, ventre oblectat, Rupertus.& caudâ ligat, ſaith another.
Verſe 46. Never man ſpake like this man] It is good to come to the Word, though with ill intent; they that come to ſee faſhions only, as Moſes came to the Buſh, may be called as he was. They that come but to ſleep, may be taken napping, as Father Latimer ſaith. They that come to catch, may be caught, as theſe in the Text. The ſerpent that comes forth to ſting, may be charmed ere he go back. When Henry Zutphen was preacher at Breme, the holy Catholikes could not be idle, but ſent their Chaplains to every Sermon, to trap him in his words. But God (whoſe foot-pathes are in the midſt of the flood) would have his marvellous power to be ſeen in them, for he converted many of them: inſomuch, that the greater part of them that were ſent to hearken, did openly witneſſe his doctrine to be Gods truth, againſt which no man could contend; Act. and Mon. ſol. 8…0.and ſuch as in all their life before they had not heard: perſwading them likewiſe, that they forſaking all impiety, ſhould follow the Word of God, and beleeve the ſame, if they would be ſaved. But the chief Prieſts, Canons, and Monkes were ſo indurate and hardened, with Pharaoh, that they became the worſe for theſe admonitions.
Verſe 48. Have any of the Rulers, &c.] Argumentum ſtultum, ſaith Theophylact. Sapientes ſapienter in infernum deſcendunt, ſaith one. And Potentes potenter torquebuntur, ſaith another. None ſo deep in hell, as knowing men; they are too wiſe to be ſaved by the fooliſhneſſe of Preaching. But Paul the babler muſt be heard, ere Heaven can be had.
Verſe 49. But this people, &c.] He howled and wept (ſaid D. Story concerning Philpot) in the Convocation-houſe, Act. and Mon. ſol. 1631.and made ſuch adoe, as never man did, even as all the heretikes do when they lack learning to anſwer. When as yet M. Philpot diſputing in the Convocation-houſe againſt the Sacrament of the Altar, made this offer: If I ſhall not be able to maintain by Gods Word that I have ſaid, and confound any ſix of you, let me be burned with as many fagots as be in London, …aid. 1285.before the Court-gate; and this he uttered with great vehemency of ſpirit, which the cankerd Doctour haply called howling and weeping.
Verſe 50. Nicodemus ſaith unto them] Good bloud will not belye it ſelf: foreign. Herodot.love, as fire, will not long be hid. Croeſus his dumb ſon could not but ſpeak, to ſee his father ready to be ſlain. Nicodemus, though hitherto a night-bird, now ſhews himſelf for Chriſt in a Councell. How far had Iudas outſtripped Nicodemus, till it came to the upſhot? Nicodemus was only a night-profeſſour, Iudas in the ſight of all. Nicodemus a ſlow-ſchollar, Iudas a forward Preacher. Yet at laſt, when Iudas betrayed Chriſt in the night; Nicodemus faithfully profeſſed him in the day, &c.
Verſe 52. Art thou alſo of Galilee] They thought to mock him out of his Religion, as the Devil doth many at this day. But Nicodemus was well reſolved: and if we can bear reproach for Chriſt, its an argument we mean to ſtick to him; as the ſervant in the Law, that was brought to be bored in the ear. And Cujetan gives the reaſon, Ʋt ſi non horreret ſervitutem, horreret ſaltem ignominiam publicam, ut multos habeat inſpectores & testes.
Verſe 53. And every man went, &c.] Nicodemus, with one word ſeaſonably put in, diſſolves the Councell, and keeps them, for this time, from attempting againſt Chriſt. See what one man may do againſt a miſchievous multitude otherwhiles; …Ille regit dictis animos, & pector a mulcet. What a ſtickler was Nehamiah at Ieruſalem, Paphnutius at the Nicene Councell, Wicliffe, Hus, Luther, in their generations? Its good to be doing, though there be few or none to ſecond us: and though we be asked, as that good Biſhop Liberius was by the Arian Emperour Constantius, Theodoret. lib. 2. cap. 16.Quota pars es tu orbis terrarum? It is ſaid of Luther, quod unus homo ſolus totius orbis impetum ſuſtinuerit.