He teacheth Nicodemus, that to come to the Kingdom of God, Baptisme is necessarie, as being
our Regeneration. 10. Which point Nicodemus as then not vnderstanding. 11. he sheweth that they
must beleeue him, and what good cause there is for them so to doe. 23. After this is he also
baptized, & Iohn likewise at the same time, 25. Wherevpon a question being moued, whether Baptisme is
better, 25. Iohn answereth it by saying, that he is so farre inferiour to Christ, as a mere man to
God most high.
1.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon Holie Roode day, or Inuention of the holy Crosse. Maij 3.
AND there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a Prince of the Iewes.
2. This man came to Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ by night, and said to him: Rabbi, we know that
thou art come from God a Maister; for no man can doe these signes which thou doest, vnles God be
with him.
3. Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ answered, and said to him: Amen, Amen I say to thee, vnles a man be
borne againe, he can not see the Kingdom of God.
4. Nicodemus said to him: How can a man be borne, when he is old? can he enter into
his mothers wombe againe & be borne?
5. Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ answered: Amen, Amen I say to thee, vnles a man be borne againe of
water and the Spirit, he can not enter into the Kingdom of God.
6. That which is borne of the flesh, is flesh: & that which is borne of the Spirit,
is spirit.
7. Maruel not, that I said to thee, You must be borne againe.
8. The Spirit breatheth where
✟
We follow rather S. Aug. and those ancient Fathers, which most commonly vnderstand
this place of the Holy Ghost, and not of the winde: although both senses be good.
he wil; and thou hearest his voice, but thou knowest
not whence he commeth and whither he goeth: so is euery one that is borne of the Spirit.
9. Nicodemus answered, & said to him: How can these things be done?
10. Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ answered, and said to him: Thou art a Maister in Israel, and art
thou ignorant of these things?
11. Amen, Amen I say to thee, that we speeke that which we know, and that which we
haue seen we testifie, and our testimonie you receiue not.
12. If I haue spoken to you earthly things, and you beleeue not: how if I shal speake
to you heauenly things, wil you beleeue?
13. And no man hath ascended into Heauen, but he that descended from Heauen, the Sonne
of man which is in Heauen.
14. And as
*
Num. 21,9.
Moyses exalted the serpent in the desert, so must the Sonne of man be
exalted:
15. that euery one which beleeueth in him, perish not, but may haue life euerlasting.
16.
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The Ghospel vpon Munday in the whitson-weeke.
For so God loued the world, that he gaue his only-begotten Sonne; that euery one
that beleeueth in him, perish not, but may haue life euerlasting.
17. For God sent not his Sonne into the world, to iudge the world, but that the world
may be saued by him.
18. He that beleeueth in him, is not iudged. But he that doth not beleeue, is
already
iudged: because he hath not beleeued in the name of the only-begotten Sonne of God.
19. And this is the iudgement: because the light is come into the world, and men haue
loued the darkenesse rather then the light: for their workes were euil.
20. For euery one that doth il, hateth the light, and commeth not to the light, that
his workes may not be controuled.
21. But he that doth veritie, commeth to the light, that his workes may be made
manifest, because they were done in God.
22. After these things Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ came and his Disciples into the countrie of
Iewrie; & there he abode with them, and baptized.
23. And Iohn also was baptizing in Ænon beside Salim; because there was much water
there, and they came, and were baptized.
24. For Iohn was not yet cast into prison.
25. And there rose a question of Iohns Disciples with the Iewes concerning
purification.
26. And they came to Iohn, and said to him: Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond
Iordan, to whom
*
Iohn 1,19.
thou didst giue testimonie, behold he baptizeth, and al come to him.
27. Iohn answered and said: A man can not receiue any thing, vnlesse it be giuen him
from Heauen,
28. Your selues doe beare me witnesse,
*
Iohn 1,20.
that I said, I am not Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ; but
that I am sent before him.
29. He that hath the bride, is the bridegrome: but the freind of the bridegrome that
standeth and heareth him, reioyceth with ioy for the voice of the bridegrome. This my ioy
therfore is filled.
30. He must increase, and I diminish.
31. He that commeth from aboue, is aboue al. He that is of the earth, of the earth
he is, and of the earth he speaketh. He that commeth from Heauen, is aboue al.
32. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth: and his testimonie no men
receiueth.
33. He that hath receiued his testimonie, hath signed that God is true.
34. For he whom God hath sent, speaketh the wordes of God. For God doth not giue
the Spirit by measure.
35. The Father loueth the Sonne: & he hath giuen al things in his hand.
36. He that beleeueth in the Sonne: hath life euerlasting: but he that is
incredulous to the Sonne, shal not see life, but the wrath of God remaineth vpon him.
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. III.
5. Borne againe of water.)
Baptisme in water necessarie to saluation.
As no man can enter into this world not haue his life and being in the same, except
he be borne of his carnal parents: no more can a man enter into the life and state
of grace which is in Christ, or attaine to life euerlasting, vnles he be borne and
baptized of water and the Holy Ghost. Whereby we see first, this Sacrament to be
called our regeneration or second birth, in respect of our natural and carnal which
was before. Secondly, that this Sacrament consisteth of an external element of
water, and internal vertue of the Holy Spirit: wherein it excelleth Iohns Baptisme,
which had the external element, but not the spiritual grace. Thirdly, that no man can
enter into the Kingdom of God, not into the fellowship of Holy Church, without it.
Whereby the *Pelagians, and Caluinists be condemned, that promisse life euerlasting
to yong children that die without Baptisme, and al other that thinke only faith to
serue, or the external element of water superfluous or not necessarie: our Sauiours
wordes being plaine and general.
Baptisme in water in two cases otherwise supplied.
Though in this case, God which hath not bound his grace, in respect of his owne
freedom, to any Sacrament, may and doth accept them as baptized, which either are
martyred before they could be baptized, or els depart this life with vow and desire
to haue that Sacrament, but by some remedilesse necessitie could not obtaine it.
Lastly, it is proued that this Sacrament giueth grace ex opere operato,
that is, of the worke itself (which al Protestants denie) because it so breedeth
our spiritual life in God, as our carnal birth giueth the life of the world.
*Aug. hæres. 88.
18. Is iudged already.)
Euery infidel, and namely Heretikes, are iudged already.
He that beleeueth in Christ with faith which worketh by charitie (as the
Apostle speaketh*) shal not be condemned at the later day nor at the houre of his
death: but the Infidel, be he Iew, Pagan, or Heretike, is already (if he die in
his incredulitie) by his owne profession and sentence condemned, and shal not come
to iudgement either particular or general, to be discussed according to his workes
of mercie done or omitted. In which sense S. Paul saith** that the obstinate Heretike
is condemned by his owne iudgement, preuenting in himself, of his owne free wil, the
sentence both of Christ and of the Church.
*Gal. 5,6.
**Tit. 3,11.
31. He that commeth from aboue.)
The excellencie of Christs power and graces.
As though he should say: No maruel that men resort to Christ so fast and make
lesse account of me. For, his baptisme and his preaching and his Person are al
from Heauen immediatly. He bringeth al from the very bosome, mouth, and substance
of God his Father. Whatsoeuer is in me, is but a litle drop of his grace. His
spirit and graces are aboue al measures or mens gifts, euen according to his
Manhood: and al power temporal and spiritual, the Kingdom and the Priesthood, and
al soueraigntie in Heauen and earth are bostowed vpon him as he is man also.