John 7:21–23

Christ passeth over this calumny without a reply, and goeth on with his discourse; Wherein he cleareth the multitude, what the quarrel was the Jewes had against him, and subjoyneth a second reason for vindication thereof, taken from a parallel act approven by themselves, The summe is, That however they marvelled at his deed, yet they had like practices among themselves justified by the Law. For Moses did give them a Law, received from the fathers, that Circumcision should be administred on the eighth day, and they did circumcise on the Sabbath day, if it fell to be the eighth, without any scruple or violation of the Law; yea, in obedience to the Law. And therefore they had no cause to be angry at him because he had healed a man both in soul and body on the Sabbath, The parallel here is not so much betwixt the person of Christ and Moses, as betwixt the Ordinance enjoyned by Moses, and practised by them, and Christs deed. For clearing whereof, Consider, 1. The equality, or parallel, consists in this, that, as Circumcision was a work of piety, as being a Sacrament and Seal of the Covenant; So also it was a work of necessity, in respect of the precept, that the Law of Moses might not be broken. And on the same grounds was Christs work to be justified, being a work of piety, to heal a mans soul, and a work of charity and necessity, to help a man who had been so long in distresse. We need not to insist to enquire, why the Lord would have Circumcision precisely on the eighth day; whether, because he would have the seventh day (which Physicians account a critical day) over, before this painful Sacrament were administred, but would have it delayed no longer; or, upon some other typical reason. It sufficeth us, that Gods will is a sufficient reason for his command. 2. There may also some disparity be found betwixt these two, which pleads yet more strongly for Christs practice, As, 1. In administring of Circumcision, there was more pains and labour on the Sabbath, then in what he did, having with a word made the man whole. 2. Circumcision, though an Ordinance of God, yet was painful, and for awhile hurtful to the body; He, on the contrary, healed him who had been long pained. 3. Albeit Circumcision was a work of piety, because it was a Seal of the righteousnesse which is by saith; yet many who received it, did not get their hearts circumcised; And therefore his deed was much more a work of piety, having not onely healed the mans body, but his soul also; for, so the parallel runs, and so these words are to be understood. I have made a man every whit whole, or, the whole man whole, and so appears in part from his adhering to Christs directions, when they are quarreled, chap. 5.10, 11. Doctrine 1. Christs followers ought to be deaf men to reproaches, and to carry themselves modestly, when they meet with personal injuries and affronts; As here Christ by his practice doth teach, who never so much as owned their bitter reflection, verse 20. 2. Men who are most wicked and lewd, may yet so far delude themselves, or seek to deceive others, as they cannot look upon some supposed ills but with wonder and astonishment; for, these vile men did all marvel at this work of Christ, pretending to detest it as an horrid prophanation, When yet they were nothing affected with their own grosse abuses and violation of the Law. 3. It is great injustice, and want of charity, to stumble at one failing of a man (suppose it be real) who makes not an habit of it, but otherwise is blamelesse; Therefore, saith he, I have done one work, and ye all marvel, wherein he not onely opposeth his own work to their frequent circumcising on the Sabbath, but sheweth that it was a great testimony of his innocency, that they could object but that one work to him, and that it was great injustice to taxe him so hardly (though it had not been right,) seeing he had no custome of such transgressions. 4. The Lord, in his deep wisdome, hath so contrived his Law, that albeit divers precepts concurring at one time, may seeme to crosse one another; yet no man that is not under the power of an erring conscience, (who, whatever way he turn him, doth either sinne materially against the Law, or interpretatively against God, in going over the light of his conscience:) will ever want a lawful out-gate, but may follow one command without violation of another: for, so doth Christs arguing teach; His instance of Circumcision without prophanation of the Sabbath, and his arguing from thence to justifie his own practice, sheweth, that these particular instances are grounded on a general rule, That in the concurrence of many seeming contrary precepts, it is the will of God, that one of them should give place to the other for that time, and that without sinne in him who doth so, Which may be branched out thus, 1. A general command gives way to a special precept, when both cannot be observed at one time; As here, the general command of sanctifying the Sabbath, gives place to the command of Circumcision on the eighth day, when that day fell to be the Sabbath. 2. The moral duties of the first Table take place of duties of the second Table, when they come in competition; Though a man be bound to provide for his family, to love his friends, wife, and children; yet all these must give place to his love to God and his truth, and he must forsake all these, yea, and (in some respect) hate them, when they would hinder him in his duty to God. 3. Ceremonial duties and external performances of the first Table, do give place to moral duties of the second Table; And therefore Christ frequently justifieth his own and his disciples practices on the Sabbath, by shewing that God required mercy, and not sacrifice. Doctrino 5. Albeit it be the will of God, that his people do sanctifie the Sabbath, by ceasing from their ordinary imployments, yet several works may be done thereupon, without violation thereof; for, Christs instancing of Circumcision on the Sabbath, without breaking of the Law of Moses, and of his own fact, sheweth, that these instances are grounded on this general rule, That the doing of every work upon the Sabbath, is not a violation thereof. And particularly, 1. Works of piety are the very sanctifying of the Sabbath; as here, to administrate a Sacrament, and do good to a mans soul, and the Priests were blamelesse in killing and washing sacrifices on that day, Matth. 12.5. And we under the Gospel, should go about our work with more delight on that day, in regard it is more spiritual and easie, then formerly. 2. Some works, albeit they be not works of piety, yet are lawful, in so far us they are necessary means of, and have a tendency unto works of piety: So were they allowed a Sabbath dayes journey to go to their solemne meetings and worship, and the pains that men take in needful apparelling and refreshing of their bodies, and going to the publike places of worship are no violation of the Sabbath, if they be done with a Sabbath dayes heart. 3. Works of mercy and charity are also lawful on the Sabbath; as here, it was lawful to relieve a miserable man, so also Luke 14.5. providing they be such works indeed, not onely in the intention of the worker, but such as in their own nature are necessarily required for performance of mercie and charity. 4. Works of necessity may lawfully be done on the Sabbath, though they were servile employments; as here Circumcision was, in respect of the command, and his healing of the man. See Luke 13.15. Yet that we abuse not this, and violate the Sabbath under a pretext of necessity, We ought, 1. To distinguish betwixt a necessity that is inevitable, into which providence casts us, and a necessity that is only contracted through our own former negligence; The first doth warrand us to work what we are necessitate to do, but the other doth involve us in guilt, whatever may be done upon it. 2. We are to distinguish betwixt a necessity that is onely imminent, or possible, and feared that it may come, and a necessity that is incumbent and present. The former cannot warrand a man to work on the Sabbath, but the latter doth. A man must not gather in his cornes upon the Sabbath, because he fears it may raine the next day, or a stood may come and carry it away, but a man may recover and preserve his cornes on the Sabbath from being carried away with a present inundation. 3. We are to distinguish betwixt the ceasing of gain, by the intermission of a lawful calling on the Sabbath, and an emergent damage, by reason of some providential dispensations. The former doth not warrand working on the Sabbath day, but the latter doth. Albeit it be necessary that a man improve his means in a lawful calling, for the maintenance of his family; Yet it is not lawful for him to continue his trade and calling on the Sabbath, upon pretence that he will be a loser by the intermission thereof. But a man may lawfully recover his means from fire, water, or other accidents, on that day. Doctrine 6. Men who are possessed with self-love, and with prejudice against others, will readily count that a fault in their neighbours, which yet is no fault, and will allow that in themselves, which they condemne in others; for, so doth Christs reasoning, from their practice to his deed, import, that they did these things as approven service, as they were, and yet when he did the like, they were angry at him. And so doth he elsewhere plead from the example of David, and of their Priests, Matth. 12.3, 4, 5. 7. Whatever persecutors of Christ and his people do pretend, yet the rising glory of Christ, and of his truth, is the true cause of their spleene; Therefore, albeit they made a noise about the mans carrying of his bed on the Sabbath, Chaper 5. 10. yet he tels them the true cause is, I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day, and so am glorified. 8. Christs pleading for this, as a work of piety, as the parallel beareth, and hath been shewed in the Exposition, doth import that Christ did heal this mans soul as well as his body. And so it teacheth, 1. As men have soul diseases, as well as bodily, whereof they should be chiefly sensible, and which, till they be cured, men are never compleatly whole: So it may be an encouragement to go to Christ with outward troubles, that in seeking help to these, men may get that, and spiritual mercies also; for, so dealt he with this poor man, whose great care was onely to be healed of his long infirmity. 2. It is a very dangerous condition, to be sent to Christ with outward trouble, and yet not get some spiritual and saving benefit from him, with their deliverance, before they come away; for, it was Christs way when persons were brought to him with outward troubles, to cure their souls before they came away. It saith much to the incurablenesse of mens spiritual condition, when they are afflicted, and make some fashion of coming to Christ with it; yea, and are delivered, and yet continue unrenewed. Doctrine 9. His pleading this as a work of charity and necessity, teacheth, That mercy and compassion in Christ will omit no occasion of shewing it self comfortable to the miserable, and them that are in necessity; for, he will not intermit to help them when he seeth them, even albeit it be the Sabbath. And this will yet further appear, if we consider that one might object, that there was no such necessity, but the man who had endured that infirmity thirty eight years, might endure it yet one day; whereas Circumcision in respect of the command, could not be omitted. But the answer is easie, that not only the duty of charity requireth that the miserable be presently helped; but, however the man might have endured it, yet Christs love and pity laid on the necessity, and could not forbear. And albeit the man might be hardened in his trouble, by reason of long continuance; yet Christs pitie is as tender towards him as if it had been the first day; yea, so much the more, as he had endured it so long, albeit in deep wisdome he reserved the cure for his own hand. This may help to correct the jealous thoughts of Gods people, who complain that they are forgotten under their long continued trials. 10. In declaring that Moses gave them Circumcision, Christ adds a correction, not because it is of Moses, but of the Fathers, (as indeed it was given to Abraham long before, Gen. 17.10.) Whereby, 1. He would put them in minde that there was a covenant and promise made, and seals annexed to it, long before the giving of the law by Moses, that so they might gather, that the law, which came after, could not make the promise void, as it is argued, Gal. 3.17. 2. Because they doated so much upon Moses, yea, and eyed him more then God, in the ordinances they receiveed by his Ministry; Therefore Christ puts him in his own roome, and sheweth, that precious Ordinances were given to others as well as to him. It teacheth, That when eminent instruments are too much doated on, and idolized by men, it provokes the Lord to debase them, and to let it be seen that they are but his instruments; As here he doth with Moses.