John 6:30–31

This answer produceth a new question from them; wherein they bewray more of their carnal minding of their own belly. For whereas Christ hath taken them off their errour of leaning to the works of the law and Moses, and hath directed them to faith in himselfe; for attaining life and salvation; They (finding that he was not like to satisfie their carnal expectations) do object, that they cannot take his word to renounce Moses and the works of the law given by him, in the point of justification and acceptance with God, and to believe in him as a new doctour till he shew greater signes, for confirmation of that doctrine, then hitherto he had done, seeing Moses had done the like, or greater works, then yet he had shewed them. He had indeed fed many of them miraculously, but it was only with course barley loaves, and for one time: But Moses had fed all their fathers, and that for the space of fourtie years, and with excellent Manna from heaven, for which they cite Scripture. And thus they resolve, that either he shall satisfie their desires, in feeding them and filling their bellies, or they shall have some plausible pretext for forsaking him, as not being such a one as Moses was in their fathers dayes. From ver. 30. learn. 1. Albeit it behooved Christ to confirme his doctrine, at the first promulgation thereof, by miracles and signes; Yet men did sinne many waies in seeking of them; as these do here. And namely. 1. When men only tempt him in seeking them; not purposing to beleeve, how gloriously so ever he work, as the Pharisees did, Matth. 16.1. and here, they are rather seeking a quarrel, then edification. 2. When men do not first believe the Word, and then seek these as helps to confirme their faith, but they require signes to induce them to beleeve, and would have sense satisfied, before they will act faith; for, they will have a signe, that they may see, and beleeve. 3. When men ungrately forget and sleight Christs former working, unlesse he work more as they desire; for, they undervalue all he hath done, unlesse he do more. 4. When men limit Christ, and are not content with any works, but what they prescribe and carve out to him to do; for, though they saw many miracles, ver. 2. yet their instanding in what Moses had done, in the next ver. sheweth that they would be pleased with nothing, but with filling their bellies in a miraculous way, without their pains. Now albeit signes are not now to be expected, Christs doctrine being already sufficiently confirmed; Yet this is a cleare Embleme of the carriage of misbeleevers, who do not magnifie the Word, nor are willing to close with Christ, but take pleasure in quarrelling his dealing, and do prescribe to him and limit him in his dealings, and seek to have their sense first satisfied, otherwise they will not beleeve Doctrine 2. Faith in Christ is not only a way whereof we are ignorant by nature, but a course we are very averse from when we know it, and a course that naturally we encline not to follow, unlesse we see signes and wonders; for, when he hath directed them in this way of beleeving, ver. 29. now they shew their disaffection to it, and that nothing but signes will perswade them to it, what signe shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee, &c. 3. Let unsound men flatter Christ never so much for a time; yet their unsoundnesse will end in cavillations and quarrellings at last; for, albeit they were much affected with Christs work, ver. 19. and seeme even now to give up themselves to be his schollars, yet now the meat being out of their belly, and finding that they are not like to come speed in what they accounted their main errand, they fall a quarrelling. 4. Such as cannot endure the sharp edge of the Word, nor are profited by it, will soon undervalue Christs working, and forget any impression it made upon them; for, they who cannot endure this his doctrine, do now make light account of the miracle they lately so much esteemed of. 5. Such as are taken up with earthly things and their own belly, will not only lightly esteem of Christs works, if they contribute not to their ends, but things spiritual and eternal will have little bulk in their eyes in comparison of these; for, notwithstanding all they had seen, and that Christ even now had promised to do a greater work, in giving them the bread of life, yet say they what doest thou work? as thinking little of all that, since they get not their bellies filled.

From ver. 31. learn. 1. God hath extraordinary and miraculous wayes of supplying the wants of his own, when ordinary means faile; And the distresse of his people tends but to render his providence and care about them, the more remarkable; for, so much is pointed out in the history of the Manna, and in that testimony, (which they summarily cite from Psal. 78.23, 24, 25.) wherein it is recorded. 2. However hypocrites may mask themselves, and carry themselves plausibly for a time; yet they will not alwayes lurk, but at last will bewray themselves, and their carnal dispositions and desires; for, while they insist only on this miracle in Moses time, neglecting other great works done by his Ministry, they declare that that challenge, ver. 36. was true, and that it was only meat and the loaves they were seeking, however they even now pretended to more. 3. As men may have much knowledge of the Scripture, who are never a whit the nearer to close with Christ; so they who make not a right use of knowledge, are justly given up to abuse it, to their own destruction; for, here they have such knowledge, not only of the history, but of other Scriptures, speaking of the Manna, as is a clear proofe of their parents instructing them, according to the law. Deut. 6.6, 7. and may shame the ignorance of men in times of greatest light; And yet they will not discerne nor embrace the spiritual things of Christ; yea, they employ their knowledge as a weapon to fight against him. 4. Christ, in the offer of his Gospel, hath not only to do with men who are so grosse and absurd, that on no tearmes they will close with him, but with the strong holds and reasonings of witty men, who will dare to rub affronts on him, and pretend much reason, yea and Scripture, for not embracing him; for, such are these here; they will not refuse to beleeve on him, but upon some shew of reason and Scripture, and if they leave him, they will so carry it, as if he should beare the blame, and not they, as being (in their account) inferiour to Moses. 5. It is a great sin of men, and a great injury done to any of the faithful servants of God, when they are cried up, to obscure and bear down Christ and his truth: And this is all the end for which wicked men do, at any time, commend any of them; for, such was their scope here, in commending Moses and what was done in his time, though unjustly, seeing it was not needful to feed them miraculously now when they were in a fruitful land, and not in a barren wildernesse. So also, Joh. 4.12, 6. It is one fruit of the perverse and lustful dispositions of men, that they are never satisfied with things that are present, and will be ready to cry up a formerly despised mercy, that they may undervalue a present offer; for, this Manna was much loathed by their fathers when they had it, though now their children esteeme of it when it is gone, that so they may undervalue Christs present offer: