Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Scripture 36 · Chapter 3 – Chapter 4
CAP. III.
4 And the same Iohn had his rayment of Camels haire, and a leatherne girdle about his loynes, and his meate was locusts, and wilde honey.ANd the same Iohn preached in those villages which were scattered in the desert, lived in an austere, and retired fashion, being cloathed in an unusuall, rough, neglected habit; and feeding on such homely, and voluntary diet, as that wilde place would afford, that by this strange manner of his life, the mindes of men might be raised to a conceit of some extraordinary matter, both in his person and message.
O ye Pharisees, and Saduces, who are rather venomous serpents, than men, so full are ye of despight, and wickednesse;7 O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? how comes it about that ye are growne thus spiritually wise, to seeke thus seasonably to avoid the wrath and judgements of God to come; by betaking your selves to this holy institution of baptisme, and washing in this sacred laver of regeneration? Who hath put this into your hearts? Can this be any other, but a motion of the spirit of God, whose blessed suggestions, if ye would follow to purpose.
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance;See that your repentance be serious, and effectuall; do not content your selves what this formall profession, but bring forth such fruits both of good affections, and of good workes, as may be meet for true penitents; and as will necessarily flow from true grace wrought in the heart.
9 And thinke not to say within your selves, wee have Abraham to our father: For I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.Do not rest in this, or boast of it as an all-sufficient priviledge, that Abraham is your fater afther the flesh: the thanke of this, is Gods, and not yours; neither is this any more then the power of God is able to do for these very stones of the wildernesse; of which hee is no lesse able to make children unto Abraham, then hee was to make Adam of the clay, or Eve of his ribbe.
10 And now also the axe is laid to the root of the trees: Therefore every tree which bringeth not foorth good fruit, is hew en downe and cast into the fire.Please not your selves therefore with these pretences, but know, that now God intends to take a severe and round course, with all the hypocriticall, and fruitlesse professors of his name; Grant that Abraham is your root, & that yee are sprung up from him, yet know that Gods judgement, like an axe, is now laid to you, to hew you downe speedily, (that ye may be cast into hell fire) if ye bring not forth good fruit, such as may beseeme the trees that grow from such a root.
I indeed, as being a meere man,11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that commeth after me, is mightier than I, whose shooes I am not worthy to beare: hee shall baptize you with the holy Ghost, and with fire. can onelyonly apply unto you the outward signe of Baptisme, which is a Sacrament of repentance, and spirituall regeneration; and can goe no further; but the great Messias of the world, whose fore-runner I am, and whose shooes I am not worth to beare, hath a power infinitely above mine, hee shall conferre upon you the inward graces of his spirit, which is of a purging and cleansing quality, and shall so worke upon your soules, as the fire doth upon metalls; which Spirit of his, shall on the day of Pentecost descend upon your heads in the forme of fiery tongues.
The Church of God is like a corne floore,12 Whose fanne is in his hand, and he will thorowly purge his floore, & gather his wheate into the garner, but will burne up the chaffe with unquenchable fire. wherein there is not onelyonly wheate, but chaffe, and strawes, and drosse, and much offall. The Messiah, whom I fore-run, comes with a fanne in his hand, whereby he will cleanse and purge his Church, by the effectuall and powerfull preaching of his Gospell, which shall seale up the good unto everlasting life; so as they, like unto pure wheate, shall bee by him set apart for the garner of heaven: whiles the wicked, as the chaffe and soile of the floore, shall bee swept up, and cast by him into unquenchable fire.
It is not for thee to stand upon these points of the excellency of my person, above thine;15 And Iesus answering, said unto him; suffer it to be so now: for thus it becommeth us to fulfill all righteousnesse, then he suffered him. now at this time when my Baptisme is in hand; Doe thou readily yeeld to that which I require of thee; as that which God the Father hath willed both me to undergoe, and thee to performe; for thus it is fit for us to acomplish (in all due obedience) all that part of Gods will, which concernes us.
And there was a visible kinde of opening in the heaven, as if the curtaine of the skie had beene drawne,16 And loe the heavens were opened unto him, & hee saw the Spirit of God descending like a Dove, and lighting upon him. and a glorious brightnesse shew'd it selfe, as it were, above the firmament; and hee, who had before received the Spirit, not by measure, now that hee was to enter upon the execution of this worke of mans redemption, hee saw the Spirit of God descending upon him, in the forme of a Dove, and lighting upon him; as in a gracious and publike attestation from heaven of the designation, and inabling of him to so great a worke.
CAP. IV.
1 Then was Iesus led up of the Spirit into the wildernesse, to be tempted of the devill.THen was Iesus moved by the Spirit of God, to go aside into the wildernesse, that hee might there enter the combat with the greatenemy of mans salvation; that so he might begin this great office in many and strong temptations.
4 It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.It is not the very materiall substance of bread that can, or doth maintaine the life of man, but the blessing of God, giving power to that bread to nourish; neither is Almighty god tyed to the ordinary meanes of bread, as if without that he could not sustaine mans life, but hee is able by his infinite power, either to create new meanes, or to worke without, or against the meanes.
Then Iesus, that hee might give all advantage to the challenges of Satan,5 Then the devill taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on the pinnacle of the Temple. suffered himselfe to be led to Ierusalem, and to be set upon an high pinnacle of the Temple.
7 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.See Deuteron. 6. Verse 16.
8 Againe the devill taketh him up into an exceeding high mountaine, and sheweth him all the kingdomes of the world, and the glory of them.And represented to his eye diverse countries round about, and withall represented to his imagination all the kingdomes of the world, and the magnificence and glory thereof, setting them forth in all their pompe, and pleasure, and royalty.
Hee departed into the upper Galilee,12 Hee departed into Galilee. which was out of Herods dominions, called Galilee of the Gentiles.
16 Galilee of the Gentiles, the people that sate in darkenesse &c.See Isay. 9. Verse 1. and 2.
19 And hee said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.Follow me, and I will preferre you to an higher function; for whereas now your trade is this toylesome fishing in the sea, I will advance you to that spirituall calling, wherein you shall take men in stead of fishes; by the nets of wholsome doctrine, drawing them up out of the sea of the world, into the ship of my Church.