George Hutcheson
52 Then said the Jewes unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets: and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater then our Father Abraham which is dead? and the Prophets are dead: whom makest thou thy selfe?
In these verses, they repeat their blasphemy, and think themselves confirmed in it, and that they have him at a seen advantage in what he last spake; For whereas he had said, they should never see death who keep his sayings, they think that many wayes absurd, and reflecting upon himself. For, 1. Then certainly Abraham and the Prophets were none of his disciples, for they are all dead. Nay, 2. He behoved to be very arrogant, who made himselfe greater then Abraham and the Prophets, in that he ascribes a quickening vertue to his Word, not only in respect of himself, but his hearers also. Whereas they not only kept not others alive, but are dead themselves. Doctrine 1. Wicked men will be as little taken with Christs promises, as they are terrified with his threatnings; And they desire rather to have some what to carp at in them, then to be drawn by the sweetnesse thereof to embrace them; for, they rage as much here at his sweet promise, as they did formerly at his sharp chalenges. 2. As wicken men do reproach Christ out of malice, and all the arguments they pretend, are but invented to cover their malice; So they will sometime be forced to bewray themselves that it is so: for, say they, now we know that thou hast a devil, and if but now they know it, why said they it before? Certainly, all the arguments they bring forth, were but invented to colour that resolution, which they had laid down to reproach Christ. 3. Mistakes of Christ, and understanding of his doctrine in a carnal sense, gives occasion to persecutors of many cavils; for, upon these grounds doth their exception run, wherein they glory so much. They think it absurd enough, if they can infer from his discourse, that he makes himself greater then Abraham and the Prophets, which yet is the very truth; and they mistake him as if he were speaking of the first death, when he is speaking of the second death 4. Christs enemies do falsely pretend to be honourers of the Saints, that they may bear him down; for, so do they here cry up Abraham and the Prophets, to make him odious. 5. Albeit Saints be truly excellent, yet they have no priviledge against bodily death, but must pay that debt; partly, to be a testimony that they are by nature heires to the first Adam, and do carry a body of corruption about with them while they are in the world; and partly, that they may be translated to a better life; for, even Abraham and the Prophets, whom they cry up as singular, are dead. 6. Such as do in a carnal way over-value the Saints, they prejudge Christ of his glory and due estimation; for, so did they by their excessive commendation of them, Art thou greater then our father Abraham, &c. And this disease is more frequent, not onely in them who set them up in Christs roome, to be sharers with him, in leaving merits to be made use of by the Church, and in being Mediatours of intercession; but in them also who doat so much on Saints, as they forget to give Christ the glory of any excellency that is in them, and who implicitly follow them, not considering whether they be following Christ in that wherein they follow them, or not. 7. Christ is truly singular and matchlesse, and if all the Saints were put together, they are all nothing to him, and he can do that which they cannot all do; for, this (together with the clearing of their mistake of what he spake concerning death) is the clear answer to all their cavil, that indeed he is greater then all of them put together.
