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HEliah (a) the Of him read the King. 1. 2. The Iewes out of this place of Malachi beleeue that hee shall come againe before the Messiah, as the Apostles doe shew in their question concerning his comming, Matt. 17. to which our Sauiour in answering that he is come already, doth not reproue the Scribes opinion, but sheweth another cōming of Heliah before himelfe,
which the Scribes did not vnderstand. Origen, for first he had said that Helias must first come and restore all things.
But it being generally held that Helias should come before Christ, and it being vnknowne before which comming of Christ, our Sauiour to cleare the doubt that might arise of his deity in that the people did not see that Helias was come said, Helias is come already meaning Iohn, of whome hee him-selfe had sayd, If yee will receiue it, this is Helias; As if he had said; bee not moued in that you thinke you saw not Helias before me, whome you doubt whether I be the Messias or no. No man can be deceiued in the beleeuing that Iohn, who came before me was that Helias who was to come: not that his soule was in Iohn, or that Helias himselfe in person were come, but in that Iohn came in the spirit and power of Helias to turne the hearts of the fa∣thers vnto the children, to make the vnbeleeuers righteous, and to prepare me a perfect peo∣ple, as the Angel promised of him Luc. 1. 17, This great mistery the Lord being willing to poynt at, and yet not laying it fully open, hee eleuates the hearts of the audience with his vsuall phrase vpon such occasions, Hee that hath eares to heare let him heare.
And truely Iohns life came very neare Helias his. Both liued in the wildernesse, both wore girdles of skins, both reproued vicious Princes and were persecuted by them, both prea∣ched the comming of Christ: fittly therefore might Iohn bee called another Helias to fore∣runne Christs first comming, as Helias him-selfe shall do the second. &c. (b) Conuert the Iewes.] Therefore said Christ, Helias must first come. &c. to correct (saith Chrisostome) their infidelity and to turne the hearts of the fathers vnto the children, that is vnto the Apostles. And then hee maketh a question; If Helias his comming shall do so much good, why did not our Sauiour send him before his first comming? Answ. because as then, they held our Sauiour him∣selfe to be Helias, and yet would not beleeue him, wheras when at the worlds end Helias shall come, after all their tedious expectation, and shew them who was the true Messias, then will they all beleeue him. (c) And the heart of man.] Hierome (and our English vulgar) read it other-wise.