prayer, Father glorify thy name, there came a voice from heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. For this all the people apprehended; some imputed it to thunder, some to an angel; but all heard it; and all heard Christ's comment upon it, That that voice came not for him, but for their sakes; so that when the Father had testified of a Jesus, a Saviour, and a Christ, a Saviour sent to that purpose, and a Son in whom he is pleased, and whom we must hear, when it is said of him, moreover, Gratificavit nos in dilecto", He hath made us accepted in his beloved, this is his way of coming in water, and blood, that is, in the sacraments of the church, by which we have assurance of being accepted by him; and this is this Integritas Christi, the entireness of Christ, testified by our first witness, that bears record in heaven, the Father.

The second witness in heaven, is verbum, the word and that is a welcome message, for it is Christ himself: it is not so when the Lord sends a word; The Lord sent a word unto Jacob, and it lighted upon Israel; there the word is a judgment, and an execution of the judgment: for that word that signifies a word there, in the same letters exactly signifies a pestilence, a calamity; it is a word, and a blow; but the word here, is verbum caro, that word which for our sakes was made ourselves. The word then, in this place, is the second person in the Trinity, Christ Jesus, who in this court of heaven, where there is no corruption, no falsification, no passion, but fair and just proceeding, is admitted to be a witness in his own cause; it is Jesus, that testifies for Jesus now, when he was upon earth, and said, If I should bear witness of myself, my witness were not true, whether we take those words to be spoken, per conniventiam, by an allowance, and concession, (it is not true, that is, I am content that you should not believe my witness of myself to be true) as St. Cyril understood them, or whether we take them, humano more, that Christ as a man, acknowledged truly, and, and as he thought, that in legal proceeding a man's own testimony ought not to be believed in his own behalf, (as Athanasius and St. Ambrose understood them) yet Christ might safely say as he did, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true; why? because I know whence I

18 John xii. 28.

19 Ephes. i. 6,

20 Isaiah ix. 8.

come, and whither I go. Christ could not be singularis testis, a single witness: he was always more than one witness, because he had always more than one nature; God and man; and therefore Christ instructing Nicodemus, speaks plurally We speak, that we know, we testify that we have seen", and you receive not testimonium nostrum, our witness; he does not say my witness, but ours, because although a singular, yet he was a plural person too.

His testimony then was credible; but how did he testify integritatem, this entireness, all that belonged to our faith? All consists in this, that he was Jesus, capable in his nature, to be a Saviour; that he was Christus, ordained, and sent for that office, and then quod venit, that he was come, and come, in aqua et sanguine, in water and blood, in sacraments, which might apply him to us. That he was Jesus a person capable, his miracles testified aloud and frequently: that he was Christ, anointed, and sent for that, his reference of all his actions to his Father testified; both these were enwrapped in that, that he was the Son of God; and that he professed himself upon the earth to be so; for so it appears plainly, that he had plainly done: We have a law, say the Jews to Pilate, and by our law, he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God 23. And for the last part, that he came in aqua et sanguine, in water and blood, in such means, as were to continue in the church, for our spiritual reparation, and sustentation, he testified that, in preaching so piercing sermons, in instituting so powerful sacraments, in assuring us, that the love of God expressed to mankind in him, extended to all persons, and all times, God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have life everlasting". And so the words bear record, de integritate, of this entireness, of the whole work of our redemption : and therefore, Christ is not only truly called a martyr, in that sense, as martyr signifies a witness, but he is truly called a martyr, in that sense, as we use the word ordinarily; for he testified this truth and suffered for the testimony of it: and therefore he is called Jesus Christ, martyr, a faithful witness 25. And there is martyrium, a martyrdom attributed to him, where it is said, Jesus 21 John viii. 14. 22 John iii. 11. 23 John xix. 7. 24 John iii. 16.

25 Apoc. i. 5.

Christ under Pontius Pilate, witnessed a good confession"; so he was a speaking, and a doing, and a suffering witness.

:

So

Now for the third witness in heaven, which is the Holy Ghost; we may contract ourselves in that; for the whole work was his; before Joseph and Mary came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost: which (if we take it, as St. Basil, and divers others of the fathers do) that Joseph found it, by the Holy Ghost, that is, the Holy Ghost informed him of it, then here the Holy Ghost was a witness to Joseph, of this conception: but we rather take it (as it is most ordinarily taken) that the angel intimated this to Joseph, that that which was conceived in her, was of the Holy Ghost; and then the Holy Ghost did so primarily testify this decree of God, to send a Jesus, and a Christ, for our redemption, that himself was a blessed and bountiful actor in that conception, he was conceived by him, by his overshadowing. that the Holy Ghost did not only testify his coming, but he brought him and then, for his coming in aqua et sunguine, in water and blood, that is, in sacraments, in means, by which he might be able to make his coming useful, and appliable to us, first the Holy Ghost was a pregnant witness of that, at his baptism; for the Holy Ghost had told John Baptist beforehand, That upon whomsoever he should descend, and tarry still, that should be he, that should baptize with the Holy Ghost *: and then, according to those marks, he did descend, and tarry still upon Christ Jesus, in his baptism. And after this falling upon him, and tarrying upon him, (which testified his power) in all his life, expressed in his doctrine, and in his sermons, after his death, and resurrection, and ascension, the Holy Ghost gave a new testimony, when he fell upon the apostles in cloven tongues, and made them spiritual channels, in which this water and blood, the means of applying Christ to us, should be conveyed to all nations; and thus also the third witness in heaven, testified de integritate, of this entireness of Jesus.

Of these three witnesses then, which are of heaven, we shall need to add no more, but that which the text adds, that is, that these three are one; that is, not only one in consent, (they all 27 Matt. i. 18.

26 1 Tim. vi. 13.

28 John i. 33.

testify of one point, they all speak to one interrogatory; ad integritatem Christi, to prove this entireness of Christ ;) but they are unum essentia, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are all one godhead, and so meant and intended to be in this place. And therefore as St. Hierome complained, when some copies were without this seventh verse, that thereby we had lost a good argument for the unity of the three persons, because this verse said plainly that the three witnesses were all one, so I am sorry, when I see any of our later expositors deny, that in this place, there is any proof, of such an unity, but that this unum sunt, (they are one) is only an unity of consent, and not of essence. It is an unthrifty prodigality (howsover we be abundantly provided with arguments, from other places of Scriptures, to prove this unity in trinity) to cast away so strong an argument, against Jew, and Turk, as is in these words, for that, and for the consubstantiality of Christ, which was the tempest, and the earthquake of the primitive church, raised by Arius, and his followers then, and (God knows) not extinguished yet.

Thus much I add of these three witnesses, that though they be in heaven, their testimony is upon the earth; for they need not to testify to one another, this matter of Jesus: the Father hears of it every day, by the continual intercession of Christ Jesus: the Son feels it every day, in his new crucifying by our sins, and in the persecution of his mystical body here: the Holy Ghost hath a bitter sense of it, in our sins against the Holy Ghost, and he hath a loving sense of it, in those abundant seas of graces, which flow continually from him upon us; they need no witnesses in heaven; but these three witnesses testify all this, to our consciences. And therefore the first author, that is observed to have read, and made use of this seventh verse (which was one of the first bishops of Rome") he reads the words thus, Tres in nobis, There are three in us, which bear witness in heaven; they testify for our sakes, and to establish our assurance, de integritate Jesu; that Jesus is come, and come with means, to save the world, and to save us. And therefore upon these words, St. Bernard collects thus much more, that there are other witnesses in heaven, which testify this work of our redemption,

29 Hyginus.

angels, and saints, all the court, all the choir of heaven testify it; but cætera nobis occulta, says he, What all they do we know not but (according to the best dispositions here in this world) we acquaint ourselves, and we choose to keep company with the best, and so not only the poor church upon the earth, but every poor soul in the church, may hear all these three witnesses testifying to him, integrum Jesum suum, that all, which Christ Jesus hath done, and suffered, appertains to him: but yet, to bring it nearer him, in visible and sensible things, there are, tres de terra, three upon earth too.

The first of these three upon earth, is the Spirit: which St. Augustine understands of the spirit, the soul of Christ for when Christ commended his spirit into the hands of his Father, this was a testimony, that he was cerus homo, that he had a soul; and in that he laid down his spirit, his soul, (for no man could take it from him) and took it again at his pleasure, in his resurrection, this was a testimony, that he was cerus Deus, true God; and so says St. Augustine, Spiritus, the Spirit, that is anima Christi, the soul of Christ, did testify de integritate Jesu, all that belonged to Jesus, as he was God, and as he was man. But this makes the witnesses in heaven, and the witnesses in earth all one; for the personal testimony of Christ's preaching, and living, and dying, the testimony which was given by these three Persons of the Trinity, was all involved in the first rank of witnesses: those three which are in heaven. Other later men understand by the spirit here, the spirit of every regenerate man; and that in the other heavenly witnesses, the Spirit is Spiritas sanctus, the Spirit that is holy in itself, the Holy Ghost, and here it is spiritus sanctificatus, that spirit of man, which is made holy by the Holy Ghost, according to that, The same Spirit, beareth witness, with our spirit, that we are the children of God. But in this sense, it is too particular a witness, too singular, to be intended here: for that speaks but to one man, at once; the spirit therefore here is, Spiritus oris, the word of God, the Gospel; and the preaching, and ministration thereof. We are made ministers of the New Testament of the Spirit, that giveth life: and if the ministration of death were glorious, how shall not the ministration of the

30 Rom. viii. 16.

31 2 Cor. iii. 6.