John 2

So Athanasius, Basil, Chrysostom: 1. Is God the Father called Almighty, so is Christ (Revelation 1:8), 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Almighty. 2. Is God the Father the heart-searcher, so is Christ (John 2:25). He knew their thoughts.

O then be like Christ in humility. 2. Did Christ take our flesh, was he made like to us, let us be made like to him in zeal (John 2:16). The zeal of your house has eaten me up.

Zeal is a mixed affection, a compound of love and anger; it carries forth our love to God, and anger against sin in a most intense manner: zeal is impatient of God's dishonor; a Christian fired with zeal takes a dishonor done to God worse than an injury done to himself (Revelati…

3. The evil tongue is the hasty or angry tongue: They have no command of passions, but are carried away with them, as a chariot with wild horses. I know there is a holy anger, when we are angry with sin: Christ had this anger when they made the temple a place of merchandise (Joh…

He did as it were give them in marriage. And Jesus Christ did honor marriage with his presence (John 2:2). The first miracle he wrought was at a marriage, when he turned the water into wine.

For when Christ had newly received that testimony from all the three persons — the Father proclaiming him to be his Son from heaven; the Spirit descending on him at his baptism (it being the special grace and institution of that ordinance to seal up adoption and regeneration) —…

What was the pattern of this Tabernacle shewed to Moses on the Mount we must enquire, on ver. 5. 3. He himself calls his own Body his Temple, with respect to the Temple at Jerusalem, which was of the same nature and use with the Tabernacle (John 2:19, 22). And this he did, becau…

The bodies of men are often called their tabernacles (2 Corinthians 5:1; 2 Peter 1:14). And Christ called his own body the temple (John 2:19). His flesh was the vail (Hebrews 10:20), and in his incarnation he is said to pitch his tabernacle among us (John 1:14).

(Ephesians 4:24) we read of true holiness, or, holiness of truth: so there is true love, &c. a little of it is better than gold; but abundance of affections may be towards spiritual things, and yet no truth; no spiritual life; it is a dead soul still; and abiding as it is, will…

(3) Do you say, but I do and shall sin still. Answ. See 1 John 2:1, 2. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father. One that is every way able to plead, and manage our case.

The second gift is regeneration, whereby a man who was a limb of the devil is made a member of Christ, and one who was a child of Satan (whom every one of us by nature does as vividly resemble as any man does his own parent) is made the child of God. Except a man (says our Savio…

For although they do generally believe God's promises, yet herein they deceive themselves, that they never apply and appropriate the same promises to their own souls. An example of this faith we have, (John 2:24) where it is said, that when our Savior Christ came to Jerusalem at…

The itch of disputing and zeal for an opinion, rather than religion in the main, are bad characters. Again, when men, though in the right, think there is no religion or holiness but within the compass of such an opinion, this is censorious rigor, or to be righteous over-much; or…

There is a believing that does not put the subjects into a state of salvation. Many may be believers on the name of Christ and yet not true and effectual believers, as many believed when they saw the miracles which he did, and yet were short of saving faith (John 2:23). Men may…

Your eyes shall see the land that is very far off (Isaiah 33:17). Jerusalem also was a type of the Church, and of Jerusalem above (Galatians 4:26; Revelation 21:2), and so the Temple (Psalms 15:1), and it was a type also of Christ's body (John 2:21; Colossians 2:9). Hence some h…

The wise God observes particular periods of time for doing his great works. (John 2:4): "My hour has not yet come, woman, what have I to do with you?" — which man is no competent judge of. I will do this miracle, but the season is not yet come wherein I will be most beautiful.

Let that be your prayer, especially in regard of your last hopes. In 1 John 2:28, Abide in him, that when he shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. Oh! that's the comfort of the Saints, that they shall not be ashamed at the coming of Je…

In this is forbidden no continuance, no care, too little, too slack, etc. (Genesis 3; Eve; David, 2 Samuel 11:1-2-3; 1 Thessalonians 5:3-6). The remedy of our sins in these, is Christ his death; with his knowledge (Luke 2:52); with his feeling (John 4:34); with his zeal (John 2:…

And taking the Word to be God's Word, they may give to it a higher assent than they give to any man's word, because God is worthy, infinitely worthy of more credit than any man, indeed than all men, and angels too. There may be, I say, in this Historical Faith of divine truths,…

And the reason of this is, 1. Because there is nothing that is not saving, but a natural man may have it; now, this doctrinal faith is not saving, and so a natural man may have it — yea, the devils believe and tremble; and James does not dispute with these to whom he writes on t…

1. Because (as I just now said) it may be in reprobates, and devils. 2. Because the Scripture expressly differentiates this sort of faith, from saving faith, many were called believers, to whom Christ would not commit himself, as it is, (John 2:24). For, though they believed it…

2. It is Antinomian doctrine to make opposition between the Gospel promise, and the debt of the promise: the debt of works (Romans 4 and Romans 11) is law-debt due to the worker, as a hireling is worthy of his wages, because he has done the work perfectly, according to a covenan…

No man whatever mettle he be of, the finest of men can come, or has power to come to me, and to believe on the only begotten Son of God, except the Father who sent me draw him. We know Christ was much to extol his Father, his Father was ever in his esteem an eminent one, as (Mat…

So by John Baptist's ministry, all and every one of his hearers must be converted, why? As Arminians expound many that Christ died for (Matthew 20:28) to be all and every man without exception (1 Timothy 2:6, Hebrews 2:9, 1 John 2:1) so they are debtors to us for the same libert…

Here the present world signifies the corrupt estate of mē, that liue according to the lusts of their own hearts. 1. Ioh. 2. 16. And men are here said to be delivered & takē out of the world, when they are seuered from the condition of sinnfull men by sanctification, and newnes…

He that says he knowes God, and keepes not his commandements, makes him a liar. 1. Ioh. 2. 4. and 3. 6. Tit. 2. last.

To loue the word of God above all earthly treasure: and to tread our own wills under foote, and to desire that Gods wil may be preferred in all things. 1. Ioh. 2. 5. There are many houses among vs, where the cards and tables are walking, but the Bible is seldome, or neuer seene.

John does: if any man sinne, we have an aduocate. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. This makes against the Catharists or Puritanes, who auouch, they neither have sinne, nor can sinne: because they be trees of righteousnes; and a good tree cannot bring forth euill fruit.

In this sense the Evangelist Saint John shows, that himself and Saint Peter believed the Scriptures after they had seen the signs of Christ's resurrection in the Sepulchre (John 20:8). In another place also he says, that the disciples believed in Christ, when that was accomplish…

Others, which are more plausible, and are not chargeable with any remarkable fault, are condemned on this ground, that they are imagined to be necessary to the worship of God; and thus there is a departure from sincere obedience to God alone, and a snare is laid for the conscien…

Christ had indeed said, that when the temple of his body was destroyed, he would raise it up within three days, (John 2:19.) The false witnesses do not now resort to some new contrivance, but they put a wrong interpretation on his words, as if he boasted that he would practice s…

Christ had said, Destroy this temple, and after three days I will raise it up, (John 2:19;) but now they indulge in a premature triumph, and do not wait for the three days that would elapse from the commencement of its destruction.

So it is called of the Lord the Spirit of truth, of that effect, of which he spoke in that place (John 14:17). Moreover, a celestial power is said to have appeared in the resurrection of Christ, because he rose again by his own strength, as he testified many times, saying, destr…

And he also appeared to be full of Affection, in the Course of his Life. We read of his great Zeal, fulfilling that in the sixty-ninth Psalm, The Zeal of thine House hath eaten me up, John 2:17. We read of his Grief for the Sins of Men, Mark 3:5.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. And 1 John 2:3. And hereby do we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

He showed the glory of his omniscience, by telling the thoughts of men; as we have often an account. Thus in the midst of his meanness and humiliation, his divine glory appeared in his miracles (John 2:11): This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested…

But notwithstanding the reparation of it by Herod, it still continued the one and the same House, though much enlarged and beautified by him. And therefore the Jews in the days of our Savior, overlooked as it were the re-edification of the Temple by Herod, and affirm, that that…

Abraham made a great feast at the weaning of Isaac; and Isaac makes a feast for Abimelech and Phicol the chief Captain of his Army (Genesis 26:30). And the like examples we have in various other places: and our Savior Christ himself was at a feast in Cana of Galilee, where when…

But to cut off this occasion, two rules must be remembred; First,that the falling away of any man, from the truth, is the worke of God, discouering an hidden hypocrite, 1. Ioh. 2. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had beene of us, they would have co…

Buy of me eie salue, that you maiest see: that is, we must get of him the inlightning of his spirit, in the holy ministery of his word; for this is that anointing which teaches us all things, 1. Ioh. 2. 27. which when we doe truly receive, then does our wicked eie become single.…

The second comparison is to the same purpose in these words, and the smell of your ointments than all spices! Ointments typified the graces of the Spirit, the pouring out of which is called the unction (John 2:20), and the oil of joy (Psalm 45:7). The smell thereof signifies the…

"And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh; as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen." This was the house where Christ dwelt, till he came to dwell in the temple of his body, or human nature, which was the antitype of this temple; as app…

Ophni and Phinehas are publicly zealous for the Lord; Moses meek in the injury done to him by Miriam, and by Korah and Dathan, and his, is fiery against the golden calf in the Lord's cause. Hence influences from God set them a work, and eat them up as zeal for the Lord's house e…

'Tis so in all his dealings; see (John 11:6): Jesus loved Lazarus, and when he heard he was sick he stayed two days — little love in that, to stand still when there was need of help — yet that stay was for the advantage of the miracle and commendation of his love. So (John 2): w…

Public reformations are carried on with most credit and comfort, and are most likely to settle upon lasting foundations, when meekness sits at the stern, and guides the motions of them. When Christ was purging the temple, though he was therein acted by a zeal for God's house tha…

He has discerning eyes; nothing is hidden from him; all things are open and naked before him with whom we have to do. It is said of him while he was in this world that Jesus knew all men and needed not that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man (John 2:24-25). H…

Christ knows the minds of all. He knows what is in man and needs not that any man testify of him, John 2:25. He searches the hearts and tries the desires of all, Revelation 2:23.

Many of the endowments of Christ, from the Spirit with which he was abundantly anointed, are here recounted. Principally those of wisdom, counsel, and understanding, are insisted on: on the account of which, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are said to be in him (Coloss…

Much wisdom may be learned hereby: for when any meekly take a reproof, thereby they suppress their passion, and keep it from rising as a cloud before their understanding and darkening it, and so may they better judge of the matter reproved whether it be just or not: and whether…

2. The Heart is apt to deceive with a false Faith, it would put the dead child in the room of the living. They in the second of John are said to believe: But Christ did not believe their faith, John 2:24. True Faith, as it casts it self into Christs arms to embrace him, so it ca…