John 8:33

The contentious Jewes do here again interpose, And, 1. They debate about their freedome and parentage, and Christ refutes their conceits, to verse 48. 2. They fall a railing at his person, and contradict what he asserts of himself, and he doth vindicate himself and his doctrine, verse 48, — 58. 3. They joyne violence with their railing, which he avoids, verse 59 I shall take up the method and parts of the first branch of this debate in this order. 1. They excepting against the immediately preceeding doctrine, and boasting of their own freedome, as being Abrahams children, verse 33. Christ cleareth what is the great bondage of men, and how to be free from it, verse 34, 35, 36. And showeth, that their being Abrahams seed after the flesh, could not avail, since their malicious carriage and contempt of his divine Word, did evidence they had another original and Father, verse 37, 38. 2. They again laying claime to their descent from Abraham; he sheweth that in their carriage they were not like him, and so behooved to father themselves upon another in that respect, verse 39, 40, 41, — And, 3. When they (perceiving that he spake not of their carnal descent, but of their spiriual original) do assert that God is their Father, verse —41. Christ evinceth the contrary from their want of love to him, verse 42. and from their not understanding his preaching, verse 43. And asserteth that they are of Satan, whom they imitate in lying and murdering, verse 44.[&] 45. For he being sinlesse and a true teacher, ver. 26. their not hearkning nor beleeving in him, did evince that they were not of God, verse 47.

In this verse some Jewes (not they who beleeved, but others) do except against his former doctrine alledging that they being Abrahams children, and having never been in bondage to any man, it was needlesse to feed them with hopes of being made free. As for the grounds of their objection, it is nothing strange to see them deluded with a conceit of being Abrahams children, but it may seem strange they should say, they were never in bondage, when yet they were bond-men in Egypt and in Babylon, and frequently, and at this time they were under the power of the Romans. But we are to conceive that either they stood not upon an an impudent lie, to make good their point; or, their meaning is, that however they were actually in bondage, yet by right, and according to the promise, they were free, and expected to be vindicate into outward liberty by the Messiah, and therefore they would not willingly take with being in a condition of bondage. Doctrine 1. Such as would embrace Christ and a course of godlinesse, may expect that, beside tentations and discouragements from within, they will meet with oppositions and shakings without, from these who cannot endure that any should be better then themselves; for, here these Jewes fall a carping at Christs offers, that they may discourage these beginners. See Matth. 23.13. 2. Men, in opposing of Christs offers, are very subtil, and will be prompted by Satan to manage it so, so as may render them most invidious; for, so it appears in these men, who do not at all meddle with what he spake of the truth, but onely with the point of liberty, as knowing it was most invidious to insinuate to this people, who gloried so much in their liberty, that they were in bondage. 3. The most part of men are so carnal and blinde, that they see no farther then their outside, and their outward condition, and so neglect their inward spiritual estate; for this was the occasion of all their carping, that they understand Christ to speak onely of bodily freedome and bondage, as knowing no other, as appears from the rest of their discourse. 4. Albeit spiritual bondage be in it self so sad and heavy, that to be free of it, might make all other bondage imaginable, look like freedome; Yet such is the blindnesse of men, that it is but little or not at all known or discerned, and they live in their bonds with as much delight as fishes have in their own element; for, this, in particular, was the point they were ignorant of, as knowing and feeling no such bondage, and therefore carped at his doctrine. 5. Mens carnal apprehensions of their own condition, or of Christs offer, or both, is a great cause wherefore they undervalue him and his offers, as a thing they stand in no deed of; for, so do these men carp at his offer to stumble these weak beginners, alledging that his offer of freedome was no great encouragement, since they needed it not. 6. Albeit Christs offers be never so undeniably rich, yet the way of offering and confering of his favours is ready to be a stumbling-block, while men cannot endure to have them by free gift, or as bestowed on them who are miserable without them; for, so much also may be observed here, they do not carp simply at his offer of freedome in it self, liberty being so desirable, but that they should be made free. They do not indeed desire to be servants or slaves, but free men, onely they desire to have their freedome natural, and not adventitious, they would be free-borne, and not made free. And this holds generally true in all his offers; men can have nothing to except against the riches of Gods favour, grace, and righteousnesse, onely their natural pride cannot endure to have these things by free gift, to have them in, and by another, and not of themselves, &c. And thus is it (however they palliate it) that makes self-condemned sinners stand out so long, before they close with Christs offers, and submit to the righteousnesse of God. 7. Mens external priviledges, in being born of religious parents and members of the Church, do oft-times prove a great stumbling-block to themselves, hindering them from seeing their need of Christs offers, and from closing with them; for, they lay this as a ground to all their exceptions and their despising of his offer, We be Abrahams seed. 8. Such as do oppose Christ and his truth, are ordinarily so void of conscience and awe of God, that they will make no scruple of impudent lies, so they may therby gain their point; And maintainets of truth should lay their account for such encounters and opposition; for, so much doth their second exception, (and were never in bondage to any man) according to the first interpretation, teach. 9. While men are puft up with carnal dreames of their own priviledges and worth, and with carnal expectations of great things to be done for them; they will not attain to the right use of any condition they are put under by God; for, so much farther do these words, as they are explained, teach. They were so much taken up with the imagination that they had right to be free men, and would be asserted into liberty, that albeit the Lord had sent all their captivities, to teach them to understand these priviledges spiritually; Yet they would never be driven from their own conceits, nor would so much as hear of their own bondage. And therefore they made no right use of their afflictions; but all their care was how to get out of them, till the Lord made their attempting thereof prove their ruine at last.