means and opportunity hindered him from doing them; there shall fall upon him those sins which he hath done after another's dehortation, and those, which others have done after his provocation; there the stones of Nineveh shall fall upon him, and of as many cities as have repented with less proportions of mercy and grace, than God afforded him; there the rubbage of Sodom and Gomorrah shall fall upon him, and as many cities as in their ruin might have been examples to him. All these stones shall fall upon him, and to add weight to all these, Christ Jesus himself shall fall upon his conscience, with unanswerable questions, and grind his soul to powder. But he that overcometh, shall not be hurt by the second death, he that feels his own fall upon this stone, shall never feel this stone fall upon him, he that comes to a remorse, early, and earnestly after a sin, and seeks by ordinary means, his reconciliation to God in his church, is in the best state that man can be in now; for howsoever we cannot say that repentance is as happy an estate as innocency, yet certainly every particular man feels more comfort and spiritual joy, after a true repentance for a sin, than he had in that degree of innocence which he had before he committed that sin; and therefore in this case also we may safely repeat those words of Augustine, Audeo dicere, I dare be bold to say, that many a man hath been the better for some sin.

Almighty God, who gives that civil wisdom, to make use of other men's infirmities, give us also this heavenly wisdom, to make use of our own particular sins, that thereby our own wretched conditions in ourselves, and our means of reparation in Jesus Christ, may be the more manifested unto us; to whom with the blessed Spirit, &c.

28 Rev. ii. 11.

46

SERMON CXVII.

PREACHED AT ST. PAUL'S UPON CHRISTMAS-DAY, 1621.

JOHN i. 8.

He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

It is an injury common to all the evangelists, (as Irenæus notes) that all their Gospels were severally refused by one sect of heretics or other. But it was proper to St. John alone, to be refused by a sect, that admitted all the other three evangelists, (as Epiphanius remembers) and refused only St. John. These were the Alogiani, a limb and branch of the Arians, who being unable to look upon the glorious splendour, the divine glory, attributed by St. John to this Logos, (which gave them their name of Alogiani) this Word, this Christ, not comprehending this mystery, that this Word was so with God, as that it was God; they took a round way, and often practised, to condemn all that they did not understand, and therefore refuse the whole Gospel. Indeed his whole Gospel is comprehended in the beginning thereof. In this first chapter is contracted all that which is extensively spread, and dilated through the whole book. For here is first, the foundation of all, the divinity of Christ, to the 15th verse. Secondly, the execution of all, the offices of Christ, to the 35th verse. And then the effect, the working, the application of all, that is, who were to preach all this, to the ends of the world, the calling of his apostles, to the end of the chapter: for the first, Christ's divinity, there is enough expressed in the very first verse alone: for, there is his eternity, intimated in that word, In principio, In the beginning. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, and the last book, (that is, that which was last written) this Gospel, begin both with this word, in the beginning. But the last beginning was the first, if Moses' beginning do only denote the Creation, which was not six thousand years since, and St. John's, the eternity of Christ, which no millions, multiplied by millions, can calculate. And then, as his eternity, so his distinction of persons, is also specified in this first verse, when the word, (that is, Christ) is said to have been apud Deum, with God.

For, therefore, (says St. Basil) did the Holy Ghost rather choose to say apud Deum, then in Deo, with God, than in God, ne auferendæ hypostaseos occasionem daret, lest he should give any occasion of denying the same nature, in divers persons; for it doth more clearly notify a distinction of persons, to say, He was with him, than to say, He was in him; for the several attributes of God, (mercy and justice, and the rest) are in God, and yet they are not distinct persons. Lastly, there is also expressed in this first verse, Christ's equality with God, in that it is said, Et verbum erat Deus, and this word was God. As it was in the beginning, and therefore eternal, and as it was with God, and therefore a distinct person, so it was God, and therefore equal to the Father; which phrase doth so vex and anguish the Arians, that being disfurnished of all other escapes, they corrupted the place, only with a false interpunction, and broke off the words, where they admitted no such pause; for, they read it thus, Verbum erat apud Deum; (so far, well) et Deus erat. There they made their point; and then followed in another sentence: Verbum hoc erat in principio, &c.

The first part then of this chapter, (and indeed of the whole Gospel) is in that first verse the manifestation of his Divine nature, in his eternity, in the distinction of persons, in the equality with the Father. The second part of the chapter layeth down the office of Christ, his prophetical, his priestly, his royal office. For the first, the office of a prophet consisting in three several exercises, to manifest things past, to foretell things to come, and to expound things present. Christ declared himself to be a prophet in all these three: for, for the first, he was not only a verbal, but an actual manifester of former prophecies, for all the former prophecies were accomplished in his person, and in his deeds, and words, in his actions and passion. For the second, his foretelling of future things, he foretold the state of the church, to the end of the world. And for the third (declaring of present things) he told the Samaritan woman, so exquisitely, all her own history, that she gave presently that attestation, Sir, I see that thou art a prophet': so his prophetical office, is plainly laid down. For his second office, his priesthood, that is expressed in the thirty-sixth

1 John iv. 19.

verse, Behold the Lamb of God; for, in this, he was our priest, that he was our sacrifice; he was our priest, in that he offered himself for our sins. Lastly, his royal office was the most natural

to him of all the rest. The office of a prophet was natural to none; none was born a prophet. Those who are called the children of the prophets, and the sons of the prophets, are but the prophet's disciples. Though the office of priesthood, by being annexed to one tribe, may (in some sense) be called natural, yet in Christ it could not be so, for he was not of that tribe of Levi : so that he had no interest in the legal priesthood, but was a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. But this title to be king, was natural, by descent, he was of the blood royal, and the nearest in succession; so that he, and only he, had, de jure, all the three unctions upon him. David had two; he was both a prophet, and a king; he had those two capacities: Melchizedek had two too: he was both a king and a priest; he had two: only Christ had all three, both a prophet, and priest, and king.

In the third part of the chapter, which is the calling of four of his apostles, we may observe that the first that was called, was not Peter, but Andrew; that there might be laid at first some interruption, some stop to their zealous fury, who will still force, and heap up every action which any way concerns St. Peter, to the building up of his imaginary primacy, which primacy, they cared not though Peter wanted, if they could convey that primacy to his successor, by any other title; for which successor's sake it is, and not for St. Peter's own, that they are so over diligent in advancing his prerogative. But, it was not Peter, that was called, but Andrew. In Andrew's present and earnest application of himself to Christ, we may note, (and only so) divers particulars, fit for use and imitation. In his first question, Master, where dwellest thou? there is not only, (as Cyril observes) a reverent ascribing to him a power of instructing in that compellation, Master, but a desire to have more time afforded to hearken to his instructions, Where dwellest thou, that I may dwell with thee? And as soon as ever he had taken in some good portion of knowledge himself, he conceives presently a desire to communicate his happiness with others; and he seeks his brother Peter, and tells him, Invenimus Messiam, we have found the Messias; which is, (as

St. Chrysostom notes) vox quærentis: in this, that he rejoices in the finding of him, he testifies that he had sought him, and that he had continued in the expectation of a Messias before. Invenit Messiam, he had found the Messias; but, saith the text, Duxit ad Jesum, he brought his brother the glorious news of having found a king, the King of the Jews, but he led him to Jesus, to a Saviour; that so, all kinds of happiness, temporal and spiritual, might be intimated in this discovery of a king, and of a Saviour; What may not his servants hope for at his hands, who is both those, a king and a Saviour, and hath worldly preferments, and the glory of heaven in his power?

Now, though the words of this text, (He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light) are placed in the first part of the chapter, that which concerns Christ's divine nature, yet they belong, and they have a respect to all three; to his divine nature, to his offices, and to his calling of his apostles: for, first, light denotes his divine nature; secondly, the testimony that is given of him by John Baptist, (of whom the words of our text are spoken) declares him to be the Messias, and Messias, (which signifies anointed) involves all his offices, for his three offices, are his three vocations; and thirdly, the application of this testimony, given by John Baptist here, by the apostles and their successors after, intimates or brings to our memory this their first vocation, in this chapter. So that the Gospel of St. John contains all divinity, this chapter all the Gospel, and this text all the chapter. Therefore it is too large to go through at this time; at this time we shall insist upon such branches as arise out of that consideration, what, and who this light is, for we shall find it to be both a personal light, (it is some body) and, otherwise too, a real light, (it is some thing) therefore we inquire, what this light is (what thing) and who this light is, (what person) which John Baptist is denied to be. Hereafter we shall consider, the testimony which is given of this light; in which part in due time, we shall handle, the person of the witness John Baptist, in whom we shall find many considerable, and extraordinary circumstances: and then, his citation, and calling to this testimony; and thirdly, the testimony itself that he gave: and lastly, why any testimony was requisite to so evident a thing as light. But the first part, Who,

VOL. V.

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