One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17
[ 3] 3. This prayer of Christ for us is constant, perpetual, without ceasing ; There is not a moment wherein we may say Christ doth not present thy cause to God, Thus it's said in the present Tense, We have an Advocate, and Heb. 7.25. He everliveth to make Intercession for us ; Thus as he that keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, so neither doth he that prayeth for his Church either slumber or sleep, when Paul said He made mention of such always in his Prayers, that is to be understood always when he prayed not that he prayed always, so when we are commanded to pray always, to pray without ceasing ; That is when our duty is and the command requireth, not that we should day and night do nothing but pray; But when we speak of Christ's Intercession, it's constant and never interrupted; There is no day or night that it ceaseth; Elisha scorned at the Priests of Baal, bidding them cry aloud. It may be they were either sleeping or in a Journey, 1 Kin. 18.27. But the Lord Christ is always attending and minding this very thing; Oh the unsearchable depths of comfort that are in this, when thou art preaching, drinking, working, then Christ is interceding for thee, when thou hast no mind of thyself, dost not pray for thyself, yet even then Christ is commending thy case to his Father: Oh the godly soul should cry out, I have enough, what can I desire more? If this will not satisfy thy disquieted soul what will?
[ 4] 4. This Mediatory prayer comes from him who not only because of his worth doth merit, or because of his dear Relation, The Father cannot deny him as you heard, but also from one whose affections and compassions are larger to thee then any of thy dearest Friends can be ; You heard, that he was one who was touched with our infirmity, one who had gone under several Temptations that he might know experimentally how to succor those that are tempted; Oh now it's far better to have one praying for us that is experimentally tempted, or hath been, as we are, then ten thousand others; Non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco ; So that so far as any grief or temptation may go without sin, so far Christ knoweth the meaning of it, and even for the guilt of sin and the displeasure of God, that he did undergo in the height of it: Thus he that intercedes for thee is one who knoweth the meaning of thy Temptations, of thy desertions, what it is to fear God hath forsaken thee.
[ 5] 5. A great aggravating consideration in this Mediatory prayer of Christ is the potency and prevalency of it ; It is an almighty and omniscient prayer; Luther called the prayer of a Godly man so, how much rather may we say so of Christ himself: God said to Moses, Let me alone, as if his Prayer hindered him from doing what he would do: Jacob wrestled, and made Supplication, and prevailed with God, how much more doth Christ then prevail, and that upon two Titles: 1. of Justice, his Prayer is satisfactory and compensatory to God. And then 2. Because of Love, For he is the only begotten Son and well-beloved of his Father: The prevalency of Christ's Mediatory Prayer is seen both for impetration and application, for as it is with his oblation of himself, so it is with his Intercession.
There are two special effects of it,
- 1. Impetration,
- 2. Application.
Impetration is that whereby he doth obtain at God's hands the right and claim to all those privileges he hath purchased for his people, Such are Remission, Justification, Adoption, and Glorification; These transcendent mercies which are not in the power of the world to bestow, are obtained by him, and indeed had it not been for this his Mediatory power, there had been no such things in rerum naturâ, Reconciliation and Peace with God had been a mere Ens rationis, men might have imagined such a thing as they may golden Mountains, but there had been no existency of them, so that it was of infinite concernment to Believers, to obtain of God, that there might be such privileges, They cost him dear; It was not only prayers with tears, but with blood also, but Impetration is not enough, for if it had been as Arminians say, That Christ as Mediator obtained only a possibility of Salvation, or made a way for such mercies, but then the application to arise partly from man's freewill and power; This would be to hold That Christ might have died in vain, That notwithstanding all that love of God sending his Son into the world, and all the wrath that he did undergo, Not one man might have been saved : This must needs be very derogatory both to the Father and to the Son, but Christ's Prayer is for the application and actual bestowing of all those benefits he hath obtained, and for this end he sends his Spirit into our hearts, Rom. 8 and that is a Spirit of prayer and supplication : So that we have a twofold bottom to stand upon, Christ's Prayers and the Spirits Intercession in us; Oh the strong Consolations that may be received hence! for the godly soul may think, Though Christ's prayer be prevalent, yet I must pray also; He that asketh not shall not receive: Now my prayers are weak, dull, sinful; See therefore the goodness of Christ that gives his Spirit to us, to help us against all the Infirmities of our prayers, both to know what to pray and how to pray; It's not then enough to hear that Christ by his Prayer doth obtain all good things at God's hand, unless he vouchsafe them to us, and make us partaker of them. Oh then let not the Godly soul say, how can I ever be at peace with God, how can I ever have power over such strong corruptions? This is to say, God will not regard or answer Christ's Prayer.
[ 6] 6. The latitude and extensiveness of Christ's prayer is also very full of comfort, For it reacheth as far as the effects of his death, so that for whatsoever privilege Christ died, for the same he prayeth; So that as it is said of the Lord's Prayer, that it's the breviary and Summary of all things to be pra • ed for; Thus it is in Christ's Prayer, There is nothing that the soul can desire, no evil to be avoided, no good to be procured but this Mediatory prayer extends unto it, Insomuch that it's the Treasury and stock out of which the Godly soul is constantly replenished:
We may instance in some particulars.
1. Daily pardon for our daily sins and Infirmities; For though all our former sins were wholly remitted, yet if we have not a constant remission, every hour and moment our condition would be damnable; Therefore when we sin he stands up as an Advocate: We see then what it is that may support our hearts against all quotidian failings, The vain thoughts, the proud and unbelieving Imaginations, The dullness and formality of our duties, all these are done away by Christ's prayer; We could not have any rest or peace in our consciences all the day long, if we had not an Antidote against the daily poison we suck down; Alas it's not thy Repentance, thy godly strict life thou mayest build on, for the least vain thought deserveth hell, and would mar all thy graces, But it's the Intercession of a Mediator without us.
2. As pardon of sin so power against sin under the urgent and important temptations thereunto ; Oh this is of admirable concernment, That when thou art even eating poison, when thou art within the hot flames of sin, yet to be preserved; This is so great a matter that we are taught constantly to pray that we may not be led into temptation ; What sad bruises and wounds have the godly got to themselves in a temptation; Thou little knowest what thou mayest be and do, even the most abominable things that are if left to a Temptation; Now this is a special thing in Christ's prayer to have present help of grace in such a straight: Thus v. 15. I pray that thou shouldst keep them from the evil of the world ; Not to be taken out of the world but to be preserved from the sinfulness of it; and thus for Peter, Christ saith, Satan had a desire to winnow him, but he prayed that his faith might not fail, Luk. 22.32. Had not the fruit of this prayer intervened Peter and Judas might have been both alike: Oh then the tender godly man that is obnoxious to over-whelming fears, if such and such temptations should befall him, he should be undone that saith one time or other this or that affliction will break him; Let such consider that it's not their strength but Christ's prayer is their support, he that prayed Peters faith might not fail hath done the like for thee.
3. Perseverance in the way of grace against all oppositions and difficulties, This his prayer extends to, v. 34. Father, I will they be where I am, and how careful was he to keep them that none of them who were given him might perish; The perseverance of God's Children doth not depend upon grace within, for Angels and Adam lost it, but upon the promise of God and Christ's Intercession; Oh how often do we break our Covenant with God on our parts, if we were left to ourselves we should be branches broken from the Vine, pulled from the root, we should become Trees not twice but twenty times dead: But it is the prayer of Christ that keeps up all life and vigor; It's better with us then with the People of Israel all the while Moses held up his hands he prevailed, but when he was weary then their enemies prevailed: But it is not so here, Our Intercessor never giveth over, he doth not intermit for a moment, so that as long as Christ's Intercession shall abide, so long shall we be preserved.
4. Christ's prayer extends to their vivification and quickening up to holiness; Sanctify them by thy Truth ; They were already sanctified, but he prayeth for increase and growth therein; The hearts and affections of the most holy are in some degree polluted and unclean, therefore they need this further Sanctification and preparation of them for what is holy.
Lastly, This prayer doth extend to our communion and intimate Fellowship with the Father, as is abundantly expressed; That they may be one as thou and I am one, they in me and I in them ; Man as he is a man is Animal sociale, and as a Christian he desires fellowship which is not only with other members, but chiefly with the head; And this Communion is the ground of all spiritual, and heavenly joy, the fullness of it being that eternal glory in heaven.
[ 7] 7. The excellency and comfortableness of it is the more aggravated by the contrary, viz. the devil who is the accuser of the Brethren, and he continually brings in matter of accusation against us ; If Joshua hath rags on, Satan will revile him, certainly he that is so great an Enemy to a godly man's prayer, laboring either to hinder it, or distract it, or mar it, with some proud self-confidence, how much rather if he could would he hinder the prayer and intercession of Christ; Now though he can find much accusation against the godly man's prayer, yet none against Christ's; Though he be an accuser of the Brethren, yet not of Christ the head, The Prince of this world cometh and findeth nothing in me, Joh. 14.30.
Use 1. of comfort to the Godly, behold we open to you Treasures of consolation, when you cannot, do not, pray, yet even then is Intercession made for you; We are apt to think as the Disciples did, If Christ were corporally present with us, If he were visibly speaking to us as to that Woman, Be of good comfort thy sins be forgiven ; We should judge ourselves happy, but it's better for us, Christ appeareth for us in heaven: This is more advantageous then his corporal presence can be; Oh then see what is thy staff to lean upon, not thy prayers or duties but Christ's Intercession; Oh maintain this plea against the devil and thy own troubled heart; Say, what condemnation or accusation can there be of Christ? how can the Father refuse him pleading for us; O Lord, if I had nothing but my prayers, my duties, I were not able to look up to heaven.
Use 2. To discover the woeful and damnable estate of wicked men ; They have no Intercessor for them; If they sin they have no Advocate; It was a dreadful thing when God bid Jeremiah pray not for this people; Oh but when Christ shall not pray there is no way or hope open for thee: Should all godly Ministers and Friends pray for thee, yet if Christ intercede not, they can do thee no good; The devil accuseth thee, Justice arraigneth thee, and there is none to speak a word for thee.
SERMON XLIII. Of the Extent of Christ's Mediatory Prayer, and of his Death; That he Prayed and Died not for all and everyone of mankind, but only for the Elect; And that the Scripture-Expressions of Christ's Dying for all are to be understood Indefinitely and not Universally.
JOH. 17.9.
HAving handled the positive part I come to the exclusive.
The Subject that is shut out of Christ's prayers, and that is the world, I pray not for the world.
The word world is as large in signification according to Scripture-use as it is in comprehension, so that we may say it hath a world of significations, Some say, It's not used at all in the Old Testament, but that is a mistake, for in our Translations it's very frequent.
I shall instance in some choice ones.
It is used sometimes for this whole Universe in all the parts of it, as when it's said, Before the Foundation of the world ; Sometimes and that most frequently for men who are the Inhabitants of the world, and it's observed by the Learned, that John the Evangelist doth use it in the most various significations: The world when it signifieth men the Inhabitants of it, either is used • niversally for all ; or else Synecdochically for the greater part, for all, as Joh. 3. God so loved the world, viz. mankind, he did more for that then for Apostate Angels, Though Learned men expound that otherways, it's used synechdochically for a greater part, but indefinitely good and bad, as when it's said, the whole world went after Christ, but it's many times used definitely for a certain kind of men ; And that either the wicked and ungodly who are the greater in quantity, and thus by our Evangelist often, The world hateth you, and I have overcome the world ; Or else it's used for the better part of the world, though the less, for the world of the Elect, and though this be greatly controverted, yet there are places very probable, 2 Cor. 3. God was in Christ reconciling the world, viz. of Elect ; Thus Christ calls himself the bread of the world, and the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world : The doubt then is in what sense the world is here used, And
1. It cannot be the world of the Elect, for they are expressly prayed for, because given of the Father to Christ; Neither can it be the world of wicked men merely as so, for many wicked men that are so now, yet afterwards are converted, as v. 23. That the world may know thou hast sent me, that is, those who for the present are of the world, but afterwards are converted to Faith and Repentance.
It remaineth therefore by the world must be understood those that are not Elected, the world of Reprobates ; And that this is the genuine Interpretation is plain, because the world is opposed to that number of men who are given by the Father to Christ, as the opposition manifesteth, Not for the world but those thou hast given me ; Neither can it be evaded, as some would, I pray not for the world is in the same sense, and for the same things as I do for Believers, viz. perseverance and preservation from sin, because where the Text doth not limit or distinguish we must not; And besides he prayeth for those Elected persons that were as yet actually of the world, that they might know and believe in Christ, which prayer the Reprobates did most need, and therefore if Christ had prayed at all for them, it would have been for that which was most necessary: The sense then thus explained observe.
That Christ's Mediatory prayer, and so his Death is not for all the world but only some certain persons who are given by the Father to Christ ; Christ's prayer and Death is not intended for all and every particular man, but for some only; The Doctrine stands upon this bottom, Those that Christ would not pray for he died not for, neither was he a Mediator for, but not for the world would he pray, only some Elected by the Father, Therefore neither did he die for such.
This Point is controversial, and I have no Inclination to launch in such deeps, partly because plain practical matter is more profitable for the greater part that hear; It's bread and not a stone, fish and not a Serpent you ask for; and then partly the Question is of so vast a comprehension, that not one hour or many is sufficient to lead you into the very porch of it, much less all the secret rooms of it, and then partly it hath been agitated by the choicest men of Learning, that the former or latter Ages of the Churches ever had, and therefore should be handled in a Scholastical succinct manner, not popular and humiletical, as our Sermons are. These things I say do discourage, but because the doctrine of Universal grace and redemption is a gangrene, everywhere spreading, and an Idol which flesh and blood doth adore, and many specious pretences of Scripture are brought for it; Give me leave to say something; and because the controversy like Moses his face shineth gloriously, and is so sublime that the common eye cannot endure to look on it; I will put a Vail upon it, and condescend to the meanest capacity as much as the nature of the Truth will bear, and shall make way to clear and state the Doctrine by several Notandum's or particular Considerations, which will be to the main Truth as John the Baptist was to Christ.
And first, Consider there is a necessary connection between Christ's prayer or Intercession, and his Death ; They are of an equal latitude and extent, whom he prayeth for, he dieth for, whom he dieth for, he prayeth for, Rom. 8.34. Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Intercession are all in a Chain together, and applied to the same Subjects, And indeed it must needs be so because Christ's prayer is one part of his Priestly office; The oblation of himself as a Sacrifice for sin was the other; Christ then as the great high-Priest did partly pray and partly offer up himself in a Mediatory way for his people; We might well therefore put both these in the Doctrine, prayer and his Death; Though the Text speak but of prayer, because the one is necessarily joined to the other, and this Prayer therefore is made upon the oblation of himself, being to leave the world; As for that Prayer of Christ on the Cross. Father forgive them for they know not what they do ; It's to be considered that seeing the Scripture saith, he was heard in what he prayed for, therefore all those whom he intended in that Prayer had the forgiveness of their sins, and we may be the rather induced so to think because he names only those that did they knew not what in crucifying of him; Wherefore it's thought those three thousand Jews converted by Peters Sermon were most of those for whom Christ prayed on the Cross, For the Apostle chargeth this upon them, that they had crucified the Lord of glory ignorantly.
2. Though Christ in his prayer and death had special love and regard to some of mankind and not all, yet there is no man that is damned can lay the blame anywhere but upon himself ; That Rule is of perpetual Truth, O Israel thy destruction is of thyself, Hos. 13.9. And thus the Scripture doth everywhere make death and hell the wages of sin; Therefore if any would from this doctrine infer such Conclusions, That then a man is not to be found fault with; No blame is to be laid upon him but upon non -Election, or the particularity of Christ's death; We abhor such consequences, and say with Paul to some who gathered poison out of that honey-doctrine he preached, God forbid ; Let not then thy heart cavil profanely in this Point, for there is no eminent doctrine in Religion, but if a man let loose his carnal heart he may wrest wicked Conclusions from the best premises; The true cause and ground of every man's damnation, is because of Impenitency and hardness of heart in sin, with unbelief: Neither may we or can we conceive a man able to say thus, O Lord, I was ready and prepared to believe and repent, There was nothing of any good desires wanting in me, only the death of Christ that was too much restrained to others but not to me, and therefore not for my sin but merely for want of a latitude in Christ's death I must perish; Such an Imagination as this is a mere Chimera ; There never was or can be any person able to plead so, so that if you take this along with you, that no such absurdities and blasphemies follow from Christ's special love in his death and Intercession you have taken away the Gorgons head that useth to make it so terrible.
3. It's good to take notice of that ordinary distinction, The Sufficiency and worth of Christ's death in itself, and the effectual application of it ; For all do acknowledge that Christ's death in itself is of value enough to redeem thousands of worlds, if there were so many, It cannot be otherwise because it's the obedience to death of that person who is God as well as man, and by reason of his Deity, there is such a merit and satisfaction upon his death that all the sins of men and devils are not able to counterpoise it; Therefore it's great Unbelief to be cast down as if the greatness of thy sins exceeded the greatness of Christ's Sufferings; As the Heavens exceed the earth in magnitude, so do Christ's merits our transgressions, but then if we speak of the Intention and purpose of Christ in laying down his life, that is only for his Sheep, Joh. 10. I lay down my life for my Sheep ; And if that be true which Truth itself speaks, Greater love then this can no man show, then to lay down his life for another ; Our Savior if he had died for others besides the Elect had vouchsafed the greatest love that could be to them, and certainly to become a Surety for another, to die in another's stead, must needs be an high expression: The Scripture useth two words when it speaks of Christ's death for us, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; Now although they may be used promiscuously, yet 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is a great deal more then 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is vice alterius, instead of another; So that what generally he was to undergo, the Surety did it in his room, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is for the good of another, though not in his stead, as Paul said he suffered his afflictions for the bodies sake or the Churches sake, Col. 1.24. that was not in their stead, but for procuring of some good; It cannot be denied but that all mankind even reprobates themselves, do obtain a world of Mercies through Christ's Death, yet to say that Christ died for them, viz. in their stead to suffer all that anger of God which was due to them, is to say the highest mercy that can be: If we say that such are justified, such are glorified, it's not so much as to say Christ died for them, as Rom. 8. Christ's death is made the foundation of all other mercies, and the Apostle argueth from the greater to the less, If he hath given us Christ how shall he not with him give us all things else ; Therefore to say Christ died for all, is in effect to say Christ will actually save and glorify all: We may as well say Universal Salvation as Universal Redemption: For Christ's death is by the Scripture made the highest and greatest expression of love, as also the cause of all other privileges.
4. The special and particular love of Christ in his death, and Intercession to some rather then others is no ground of despair ; Nor no just cause for any troubled conscience to be perplexed about his estate, but if a man will act according to reason it's more hopeful then for a man to be left to such an universal uncertain benefit of Christ's death, which yet they confess none may be actually saved for all that, for this is acknowledged by some that hold universal grace and redemption, That Christ by his death did obtain a sufficiency of Salvation for all, but through man's corruptions it may fall out that they refuse this fruit of Christ's death, and so have no actual application of it at all: Now then Is it not more desirable to have such a special love whereby to be sure some will be saved, then such a general one, by which no man may receive salvation at all ; But especially this is no ground of despair, for we can give as large encouragements and comforts to any humbled sinner as the adversaries can, For these Universalists do not so hold Christ died for all, that whether all repented or not, believed or not, that still they should be saved; No they hold these conditions necessary unless men repent and believe, they cannot have any benefit by Christ's death: Now so all the Orthodox say, If thou art a Believer, If thou repentest, question not but that Christ's death extends to thee; It's for such as hunger and thirst, and therefore whatsoever soul lieth under any burden of sin, and doth desire the grace of God through Christ, let him not stagger but confidently go unto him; Therefore we can administer comfort to all those that are in a Gospel-manner qualified, and the Universalists can do no more ; So that here is no dreadfulness nor terror in this Point, but rather much comfort and encouragement to all those who find sin a burden, and as for others that love and delight in their sins, that doctrine cannot be of God which would speak any comfort or peace to them.
5. In this Point of Religion as in all others we must not go according to our carnal affections and desires, but the direction and revelation that is in the Scripture ; For the way of Salvation being wholly depending upon God's Will; None are able to judge of it but so far as he discovers his will therein; Therefore the Gospel is said to be Light come into the world; The world had not this Light of itself; We cannot say of the things of the Gospel as the Apostle doth of the things of the Law, that they do them by nature, and know them by nature; No, it's necessary these things should be revealed from heaven, therefore when thou goest to study this Point, do as in all other Mysteries, lay aside thy own thoughts, thy own imaginations, become an abrasa tabula, have none of thy philosophical or natural principles within thee; This dust or humor in the Eye will hinder thee from beholding perfectly this Object; It's true it's a very specious and taking doctrine that Christ died for all, that grace is universal, but if a man would therefore embrace it because it's so pleasing to flesh and blood, then there is that of Origen's which goeth further and is much more pleasing; That all even devils and all shall be actually saved. Therefore to hold universal grace or redemption is nothing so pleasing as to hold universal Salvation; Alas, though men hold Christ died for all, yet they grant the most of them are damned; Therefore that doctrine is nothing so desirable as that which maintains the salvation of all; If then you say that is too broad a way the Scripture gainsays that; Thus it followeth also, If the Scripture gainsay the other we are to attend to what that saith, and not to what our own hearts would have; Therefore throw away the head of the Sacrifice as God commanded, all thy own thoughts and natural Imaginations in this matter.
6. It cannot be denied but that the Scripture when it mentioneth the Subject for whom Christ died, speaks indefinitely of all; As all died by Adam, so all shall be made alive, Behold the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world, 1 Joh. 2. He is a propitiation not for our sins only but the sins of the whole world ; Thus in many other places the Scripture doth expressly affirm such an universality: Therefore the Question is, Whether this must be understood so generally as that it shall reach to all, and every singular Man and Nation, and that in all Ages, or only indefinitely, he died for all sorts; So that now no Nation is excluded nor particular person, as it was among the Jews, and certainly unless we will make Scripture both ro contradict itself and experience; We must take all those phrases indefinitely and not universally.
[ 1] 1. Because we see the Scripture expressly limiting God's love and Christ's death to some only ; So that those places could never be reconciled without this distinction, as Joh. 10. I lay down my life for my Sheep. Rom. 8. Upon Christ's death we are justified and saved, and above all in this Chapter we see Christ often and often again restraining all his prayer and Mediation to those that the Father had given him ; If he would not pour out a prayer, will he pour out his blood? If he would not shed a tear, will he shed his blood for them? So that if we will keep up other places with this, we must needs say, That Christ died for all indefinitely not universally; Even as when we have to do with the Anthropomorphites, Those that held God is a body : We grant that there are innumerable places of Scripture which speak of God's eyes, arms, and his hands, yet we say that Scripture may not oppose Scripture; There are other places though few which describe him to be a Spirit, therefore we are necessitated to say the Scripture speaks so to our condescension, thus it is here: Though many places of Scripture speak of Christ's death in such an universal sense, yet other places do plainly limit is to certain persons who are Elected and given by the Father to Christ.
2. We must needs interpret it so because those places which are brought for this Universality speak of the actual benefit and fruit of his Death : Now it is granted by all that none do actually partake of Christ's benefits but the godly, as 1 Joh. 2.2. He is a propitiation not for our sins only but the whole world ; He is a propitiation in an actual sense, and he is so a propitiation for the sins of the whole world as the Apostle saith He is for ours, viz. actual believers; Now then if the whole world should extend to all mankind, it would follow that all are actually pardoned and saved, so 1 Cor. 15.22. As in Adam all died, even so in Christ all shall be made alive ; By being made alive is plainly meant a Resurrection to glory, as the next Verse showeth, Christ the first-fruits, Then they that are Christ's ; So that if all be taken universally it would follow all and every man should be raised to glory: So in that famous place, The Lamb that taketh away the sin of the world, that taketh it away in an actual sense, and therefore to say Christ died for all, and there is universal Redemption, and yet to say all are not saved is to speak not only false doctrine but mere contradiction; Indeed to say universal Redeemability by Christ's death may have some color, but universal Redemption, and yet not all actually redeemed; Universal Propitiation and yet not all have their sins pardoned, is to say the Physician cured such a man, but yet he did not cure him, or a Magistrate delivered such an one out of prison, yet the man was not delivered.
Lastly, We are necessitated to limit such phrases because of experience ; For if Christ died for all men intentionally, how is it that in the Old Testament excepting some few Proselytes, the offer of grace was only to some few, and though since Christ's time the Gospel be said to be preached to every creature, yet how many Nations and much more particular persons have there been to whom Christ with his benefits have never been offered; Now who can say that Christ died for those to whom he never discovered so much as the very Name of his death; It's true, this should make us adore the goodness of God that gives us to live where this Gospel-grace is plentifully offered, What are we more then all those Heathens and Pagans who sit in darkness and have no light, who never heard of a Mediator, but oh wretched and miserable if we neglect so great salvation.
SERMON XLIV. Reasons why the Scripture speaks thus Universally about Christ's Death when yet but some were intended; Also what Benefits Reprobates have by Christ With some arguments Further proving the Point of Christ's dying not for every man but some.
JOH. 17.9.
WE are explaining this Doctrine that Christ's Mediatory Prayer, and so his death is not for all and everyone of mankind ; Many introductory particulars have been commended to you; The last whereof was, That though the word useth universal expressions about Christ's Death, as all men and the world, yet we are necessitated both from Scripture, reason, and experience, not to take them in a large universality but restrained and indefinite, specialis quaedam universalitas est, there is a special Universality, as Austin said.
We shall go on to further considerations.
And 1. There may be very good reason given why the Scripture speaketh thus universally about Christ's death ; Not that we should deduce an error from thence contrary to other Scriptures which restrain it to those the Father hath given him, Joh. 6. and Joh. 17.
[ 1] But 1. It may be to show that this great benefit purchased by Christ, was designed for man, and not Apostate Angels ; For Isa. 9. It is said To us a Son is born, to us a child is given, not to Angels, and the Apostle doth amplify this love of God Heb. 2.17. h at Christ took not on him the nature of Angels, but the Seed of Abraham : Hence it's that the Scripture speaks of his 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; Seeing that God so loved the nature of mankind that he gave his Son, for those that should believe in him, passing by innumerable Angels who might have done him more service, It might well be said that Christ gave himself for the sins of the world, viz. men the Inhabitants thereof.
[ 2] 2. This might be in opposition to the Jews, For a long time the means of salvation were only amongst them, as Joh. 4. Salvation is of the Jews: Therefore we see Peter would not so much as preach the Gospel to the Gentiles till from Heaven he was admonished that he should call no person unclean, Act. 9. Seeing therefore that formerly to the Jews only were the Oracles of God committed, Now that by Christ's coming the partition wall is broken down, and God doth not call one Nation more then another; Neither are means of Salvation enclosed in one Country more then another; It may very well be called the whole world that Christ died for, for commonly the Scripture comprehends all the men of the world under this division, the Jew and the Gentile; Hence there is that command, Go preach the Gospel to every Creature, that is to Gentiles as well as Jews, Mat. 26. and certainly this seemeth to be the most genuine Reason why the Scripture speaks thus universally about Christ's death. Observe a notable place for this, Rom. 11.15. where the casting a • ay of the Jew is said to be the reconciling of the world, i. e. the Gentiles are taken in, while the Jews are cast off, so that the world there is opposed to the Nation of the Jews.
[ 3] 3. As it's used in opposition to the Jews, so also to abate and confound the pride of the Jews, who because the Messias was to come of them were apt to be puffed up with this privilege, and to envy or murmur that the Gentiles should be made partaker of this grace; This our Savior represented under the Parable of the Prodigal Son entertained at a Feast, and the elder Brother murmuring at it, Luk. 15.30. We see how hard a thing it was to bring the Jew off from those privileges he enjoyed, and the Righteousness of the Law, so as to be beholding to Christ's Righteousness only.
[ 4] 4. This might be because when Christ came into the world few of the Jews were converted to Christ comparatively to the Gentiles ; For Rom. 11. you see the Apostle speaking of a Veil upon their eyes, and that hardness of heart was come upon Israel, and those former branches are said to be broken off, that new ones may be grafted in; Therefore it might well be said That Christ died for all, and that he was a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, because the Nations of the world of all parts did now come in and worship Christ; whereas few of the Jews did receive him; Therefore consider the time when those passages were written, and then you will easily understand those Scriptures.
[ 5] 5. Therefore the Scripture doth thus make an universal Proposition and Oblation of Christ's death in the benefits of it, because now no Nations or particular persons are excluded, For although there be an Election of some only, and Christ had a special love in his death only to those that the Father had given him, yet because who these individual persons are is not manifested by God; Therefore the outward propounding of it is universal, not excluding any, Thus all the Invitations and commands are universal; Christ calls all that are heavy laden, all that thirst to come unto him ; And although it he true that many even where the Gospel is preached, are given up to blind eyes and hard hearts: That the Gospel of Christ is a savor of death unto many, yet we not knowing who are thus inwardly withered and cursed, are to hope that to all those to whom the offer of the benefits of Christ's death extends, even to them the death of Christ itself reacheth, and this may be thought the main reason why the Scripture useth such expressions about Christ's death.
[ 6] 6. It may use such expressions, For although the greater part of the world are such that perish, and Many are called but few are chosen, Mat. 22. yet if we judge of those for whom Christ died absolutely in themselves, they arise to a great number : So that as Austin made two Cities, the one of good Men and Angels built by God, the other of wicked men and devils, whose author is the devil: Thus according to the Scripture we may divide the world into two worlds, the world of those that are to perish, and the world of those that are to be saved; The former is the greater part, the latter the better part, yet this better part is very numerous, as appeareth by the many thousands in the Revelation that are said to be sealed, so that we may not wonder if it be said Christ died for the world, seeing the number of those he died for in all Ages have been so many.
Lastly, No wonder if the Scripture useth such an indefinite expression, because we see it doth in other things also, when yet there is an acknowledged necessity by all that it might be restrained, and speaking of Christ it's said, All flesh shall see the Salvation of God, Luk. 3.6. Now it's confirmed by experience that there were many in Christ's time who yet did not see him either bodily or spiritually: Thus Act. 2. I will pour my Spirit upon all flesh, and their Sons and Daughters shall prophesy, when yet all know they were but some that had those extraordinary gifts, especially that famous Promise, That all Nations of the earth should be blessed in Abraham is clear for our purpose; For the Apostle Gal. 3. doth plainly limit it to the spiritual Seed of Abraham.
Thus you see that it's no new thing to use expressions of universality, when yet there is a necessity of restraining their sense; We might also add those places, Mat. 3.5. Jerusalem and all Judea are said to go to Christ, and Mat. 9. the whole City is said to meet Jesus, yea, all the world is said to run after him ; Therefore it's not the mere bare words but the coherence and other places must direct us herein.
Secondly, Although we cannot say Christ had a special love intending his Death a ransom for all and everyone, yet it's very plain, that even the Reprobates and those who for their sins are eternally condemned do receive much good and benefit by his death ; Indeed in some respects their condemnation is the greater, but that is their own sin who willfully refuse him, and will not have him to be their Lord and King, as John. 3. This is the condemnation that Light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather then Light ; And again, If I had not come unto them they had had no sin, Joh. 15.22. So that all those who live under Christ's gracious offer, as their sin is greater so their condemnation will be greater, it being better for them, if there never had been a Christ, or that he had not been crucified: Though men's voluntary wickedness make it thus, yet several mercies do redound even to the Reprobate by Christ's death.
1. There is no man but may for his particular, that liveth under the means of grace, be encouraged to repent, and to believe for his Salvation ; Everyone may with a great deal of hope be encouraged to the duties of Repentance and humiliation; Whereas you see God hath left the Apostate Angels as without remedy, so without all hope, It's not said to any of them, Repent and believe, and so be saved: Whereas there is no particular man but this is enjoined him; Therefore this very consideration that there is hope for any individual person▪ that his case is not desperate; That the door of heaven is not absolutely bolted upon him is of great consequence.
2. We who are the Ministers of the Gospel by Christ's death find a way so opened for all Gentiles that now we may promiscuously preach the Gospel to all ; As we cannot, so neither indeed are we to let any such thoughts enter our hearts, as whether such be reprobated or no; But we are so to preach and exhort as if everyone that we publish the Gospel to, were within the Sphere of Christ's Death; And certainly if the Apostle writing to Churches wherein many were corrupt both for doctrine and manners did yet give them the Title of a Church, and Saints, and Believers, not excluding any from the benefit of Christ; We may also do so in our preaching, and therefore this is to be observed, That the Epistles are written to Churches already planted, and therefore it's no wonder if he use such universal phrases, for that comprehends those that are within the Church already, and in the judgment of charity we may speak so, especially it being their Obligation and duty as Christians to repent and receive Christ; But when we say that the Ministers by Christ's death have a Commission to offer Christ to all, You must know that is in a due order and method ; We do not propound Christ as a Savior to them in the first place: But we are to do as Paul when he preached to Felix, Act. 24.25. who desired to hear of Christ, he began first with temperance, and righteousness, and the world to come; Felix being guilty of Injustice and unchaste courses; Paul preacheth about those sins and hell, laying open the wrath of God, insomuch that he made Felix to tremble, so that Christ must have a way made for him; The mountains must be laid low, and the valleys exalted, and all flesh must be convinced to be grass ; Before Christ can be entertained this ought to be our Method; To men plunged in sin we are to discover unto them the wrath and anger of God, all the curses that are due to him who breaks the Law in the least iota; To make men see their poverty and misery, and when men are thus prepared and humbled, then we exalt the brazen Serpent, so that by Christ's death the Ministers Commission is greatly enlarged and made more ample then in the Jewish administration.
3. Even Reprobates have this advantage by Christ that they enjoy all the mercies they have ; That they have health, wealth, and the comforts of this world; For seeing that by Adams sin all was forfeited, and a curse come upon everything, now by Christ who is the heir of all things they come lawfully to enjoy the mercies they have, Heb. 1. It is Christ that beareth up the world, if he did withhold his arm the whole world would fall into rubbish; It's true indeed if we speak of a sanctified use, so wicked men have none of the comforts they enjoy, but being impure all things are impure to them, so that the curse of the Law is not taken off from them, because they are not yet in Christ, otherwise they have a lawful right before God and man to the comforts they enjoy, for that is not to be received though many pious men have preached it, that wicked men have no right to the goods they have, but are as Thieves and Robbers, and shall answer for every bit of bread they eat as Usurpers; This is against the Scripture which saith, God hath given the Earth to the Inhabitants thereof, Psal. 115.8. And that command Thou shalt not steal doth make it evident, that both by God's Law and man's Law what wicked men have in Righteous ways they are true and lawful Possessors of, and this, say Divines, cometh by Christ, who restored the Forfeit, Adam made, else the world would not have subsisted a moment: Although it must be granted that some Learned men attribute the enjoyment of Comforts which the ungodly have, not to Christ, but to the patient Providence of God, whereby he doth not take the present Forfeiture; But may not this Patience of God be attributed to Christ's death seeing he did not use any such to the Apostate Angels, but they were immediately chained up in the close Prison of utter darkness.
4. It is by Christ's Death, That many unregenerated men are partakers of the common gifts of God's Spirit ; There are many that live within the Church of God, though not regenerated, yet have great gifts and abilities, They have many admirable endowments; Now how come these but by Christ, as Eph. 4. So 1 Cor. 14. It is the Spirit of Christ that giveth several gifts to men; Christ is the Vine, and so not only Grapes but the very Leaves come from his Sap and Juice, So that what temporary Faith, Joy, Enlargements in Prayer and common gifts of the holy Ghost any in the Church have it comes by Christ's death.
Yea Lastly, Christ by his Death is made Lord of the whole world ; And hath conquered all the Inhabitants that are therein, So that they are Christ's as a Lord that bought them by his Death ; Thus that place is to be understood, 2 Pet. 1.1. speaking of ungodly men whose damnation would swiftly come upon them, for the damnable heresies they brought in; It's said, They denied the Lord that bought them, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; Christ bought them in that by his Death, which was an Atonement only for the godly, yet he thereby was made Lord over all; So that although it cannot be said he is the Savior of all in the strict sense of a Savior; Yet we may say he is the Lord over wicked men, they are his Vassals and Servants, and he can order and dispose of them as he pleaseth for his Churches good.
The last Notandum to be propounded is to see how different they are amongst themselves who have maintained universal Redemption ; For some go so far that they are rejected and cried out upon by others, though Universalists also.
[ 1] And 1. Some have said and endeavored to prove, That so universal is the grace of God obtained by Christ's Death, that it's not only sufficient but efficacious in all men as they are men ; They think that by Christ's death every man by his own natural Reason and power may be able to save himself; Thus Puccius wrote a Book wherein he glorieth of an hundred and twenty Reasons to prove this, but this is so monstrous that others cry out of it; For by this means all unbelievers and heathens should be partakers of the grace of Christ, whenas Joh. 3.24. He that believeth not, the anger of God abideth on him
[ 2] 2. There are another sort called Huberians from Samuel Huberus who thought that Christ by his Death procured actual Reconciliation with God without any respect to Faith or Repentance ; So that he saith, Christ did as actually and applicatively bring God's Reconciliation to all mankind, as Adam did actually condemnation, And that therefore none are damned for their sins as being expiated by Christ's Death, but because by their unbelief they reject this actual Reconciliation made for them, so that all men have a general Remission of their sins, but those only have a special Remission that by Faith accept it; But this also is rejected as absurd, although it be observable that most of those places they bring for Universal Redemption speak of the act, and so the Huberians keep more to the plain words then they do who plead for universal grace, Joh. 1.29. The Lamb that takes away the sins of the world. 2 Cor. 5. God was in Christ reconciling the world, speak of actual not potential or conditional Reconciliation, and they themselves say universal redemption not redimibility.
3. There are the Arminians and Remonstrants, men of greater Learning and more refined understandings then the former, and they hold, Christ died for all in respect of Impetration not Application ; Christ died intending a Ransom for all if they believe, but who should believe and who not, doth not arise from Christ's Death, but comes partly from grace partly from free-will ; So that by this Position though Christ died, yet not one man might be saved; But this in the issue will be found derogatory to Christ, and leaveth the greatest weight of our salvation upon merit.
[ 4] 4. There are those that come nearer and are in the number of the Orthodox about Election, Conversion, Free-will, and Perseverance in grace; Only they hold Christ's dying intentionally for all ; But how they can reconcile their Opinion with their other Tenants, holding Christ's universal love to all in his Death if they do believe, and yet at the same time a special love to some to make them believe, and not others, is judged very difficult, and also wholly unprofitable as to any duty or comfort, The Doctrine whereof they think the more to establish by this opinion.
Lastly, There are those who say, Though Christ's Death is in itself sufficient for all, yet the purpose and intention of Christ was to give himself a ransom for some only, with these I join as having God's Truth on their side.
I w • ll briefly give you some grounds because others have largely handled it▪
[ 1] 1. Because we are said to be elected in Christ our Head ; So that Election though it be originally from the mere will of God, yet we are chosen in Christ as the Mediator; If then Election be only of some, as it's plain, Rom 9. then Christ died only for some, For Christ is but the medium whereby Election doth bring about all the effects thereof; Seeing therefore Election is only of some and that is in Christ as the medium, Christ also must be for those only that are Elected.
[ 2] 2. Out of the Text, For whom Christ would not pray as a Mediator, he did not die ; Shall he give his blood, and will he not vouchsafe a prayer, his intercession and his oblation go together.
[ 3] 3. Those for whom Christ died he did not only die for their salvation, but grace to prepare and fit for it, Tit. 2.15. he died to make us a peculiar people zealous of good works : Now this must needs convince, for we speak of dying for all, and think only of salvation, but Christ's death was to obtain Faith and Repentance as the means to Salvation, therefore we may as well say universal Faith and universal repentance as well as universal redemption.
[ 4] 4. There cannot be a greater love then Christ to die for one, and if he hath delivered up Christ for us, how shall he not with him give us all things, Rom. 8. Therefore to say Christ died for all, and yet will not save all, is to grant the greater and deny the less.
Use of Instruction, Instead of needless and impertinent disputes about Christ's death for all, do thou labor and apply thyself for a particular share in his death; We know not who they are that are shut out, but therefore we encourage and exhort everyone; Oh consider the sad consequences of having no share in his death; Who shall accuse? It's Christ that died; Christ's death keepeth off all accusation and condemnation; Oh then woe unto that man who is to answer all accusations and condemnations in his own Name, and must justify himself from the works he hath done; It's now a dispute in every man's mouth; Everyone will be arguing in this matter, when alas the Question is of such a vast comprehension, that it's only for learned, moderate and sober men to handle.
SERMON XLV. The Application of the former Subject; Setting forth the Necessity of Faith and Repentance as to the Interesting us in Christ; The Freeness of God's Love, The Qualifications of those to whom Christ's Death is made advantageous; And also their Privileges above all others.
JOH. 17.9.
THe controversial part being dispatched so far as was convenient in this place, we now come to the practical: We lead you out of the Camp that ye may gather honey; For you may ask To what purpose is all this D • sputation? What matter is it whether Christ had a special or an universal love in his Death? I acknowledge it is very good to keep within the bounds of Sobriety and Piety, and not to be so disputative about the universality of Christ's Death as to be solicitous whether we are in the number of those for whom he died▪ for whether he died for all or for some, If we repent not and believe there will be little comfort or advantage for us either way.
[Use 1] And therefore the first Use shall be of Instruction to demonstrate the necessity of conversion and turning unto God from our sins, for all men that pretend to any reason or piety howsoever they differ about Christ's death, yet agree in this, that no man hath benefit by Christ's death but such who cleanse themselves from their iniquities, who renounce their former lusts that were like so many Lord's, quot vitia tot Domini ; And take Jesus Christ for their Lord and King; There was scarce any Heretic ever so besotted as to preach Christ so died for all that it's no matter whether ye repent or no; whether you forsake your sins or no, Christ died to save you; No, they agree in this, though otherwise so different that no benefit of Christ's death is actually applied to any man, till by Faith and Repentance he be a qualified Subject; so that the wicked man wallowing in his sins hath cause to tremble and quake under this Truth, he may say Mihi nec seritur nec metitur ; Here is nothing makes for me in all these Opinions: If I be Calvinist, Arminian, or any other way, I cannot have any quietness, or look for any comfort till I and my sins are divided; Only that of Origen's might give thee some ease, if it could be true that all men and devils shall be saved at last, after they have been a long while tormented in hell; But this is so directly contrary to Scripture that calls these torments everlasting torments, a fire that cannot be quenched, a worm that cannot die ; That if this be all thy hope thou mayest roar out in horror, and wish thou hadst never been born, so that if wicked men would set judgment on work they would see nothing abides them but a fearful expectation of the vengeance of God, all Opinions, all Doctrines shut them out; If there could one come and bid thee Go on merrily in thy sins, be as profane as thou hast been, never think of cries and tears for thy sins because Christ hath died to save thee howsoever; This man indeed might make thee run into excess of all riot, and to say, Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we shall die, and so be saved; But the Scripture is so plain against this, that all may be persuaded of it without any difficulty; Shall we sin that grace may abound? saith Paul, God forbid ; Rom. 6.1. And he makes the damnation just of those men who gather such consequences: Think then with thyself that in what sense soever Christ died, yet thy sins make a great gulf between thee and Heaven; God hath set a flaming Sword to keep thee out of Paradise; therefore cry out I have no hope as yet, Oh my condition hath no comfort, I cannot meet with any sound Doctor that dares give me any comfort while I love and live in my sins; Why then, wilt thou embrace those lusts that are such a present poison and ruin to thee? Hereafter thou wilt be persuaded when too late; That sin hath been thy only Enemy when God shall bid thee Depart ye Cursed, then wilt thou bid thy cursed lusts Depart, but then it will be too late.
Use 2. of Instruction, To teach the godly what a sad aggravation there is in every sin they commit, That it's against the special love of Christ in dying for thee; This bloody circumstance is in thy sins which cannot be in the sins either of wicked men or devils; Excellent is that Meditation of Eusebius Emissenus, Though (aith he) the devils should be damned for many sins and I but for one, yet that would exceed the devils Impiety, for the devils never sinned against a God that became an Angel for them; They never sinned against God that died and was crucified for them, but miserable and wretched I ( pro animâ meâ cur non liquefio cum haec cogito ) have sinned against a God made man for me, Against a God dying an ignominious death for me, Against a God leaving me such an example of love and holiness; Indignior sum Lucifero, indignior sum daemonibus, I am more unworthy then the devils, more unworthy then Beelzebub ; Oh that we could all both think and speak so, that not only our tongues may utter it, but our hearts be inwardly affected, that we might as Bernard said, linguam in sanguine cordis tingere ; Oh then let this special love of Christ to thee more then many thousands wotk in thee more special love and thankfulness then others have; Take heed of sin, for thy sins have this special aggravation in them which wicked men have not; Christ hath shown thee so great love that he himself could not show a greater, and therefore who shall excuse thee if thou sin for all this; Here is then no doctrine of carnal Security in this Point; Here is no door set open for Licentiousness, but as Christ said from a Parable, She loved much, for much was forgiven her ; The same should be in all the godly, much hath been given and forgiven them, therefore they ought to love much, and this was set upon Paul's heart even Christ's peculiar and special love, Gal. 2. Who loved me and gave himself for me.
[Use 2] Use 2. Had Christ a peculiar and special love in his prayer and death for some only, then here we see what is the Thesaurus Ecclesiae, not any Popish Indulgences or imagined heaps of superfluous merits, but even the death of Christ, that and that only doth enrich, comfort, and make happy all the people of God: If therefore thou art one who canst upon true grounds gather thou hast a propriety in Christ's death, thou art not to be afraid, neither living or dying what man or devils shall do unto thee, Rom 8. The Foundation of all justification, sanctification, and glorification is upon this, Christ died, Who shall condemn? It is Christ that died ; Therefore there cannot be any accusation or condemnation because Christ died; Therefore the main Question is, What Evidences thou hast for an Interest in Christ's Death, for if that be once granted, unspeakable and innumerable are the privileges that belong to thee; Therefore encourage and strengthen thy heart with the comfortable fruits of Christ's Death; Let us consider whether thou hast the qualifications of such to whom Christ's death is made profitable and advantageous.
[ 1] And 1. They that have an Interest in Christ's Death they are dead to sin ; Christ's Death and sins death go together; So the Apostle, As Christ died once, so should we to sin and live to Righteousness, Rom. 6.10, 11. and Gal 5. He that is Christ's hath crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof ; If Christ be crucified for thee, the lusts of sin are crucified in thee; For the end of Christ's Death was not only salvation and happiness but to kill all the spiritual Enemies we have of this happiness, and sin is the main, for Death had no sting, no, neither could hell be hell, or the devil a devil to thee, did not sin put power into all these; Be not then presumptuous, but fear and examine thyself; Thou speakest much of Christ's Death, This is in thy month, I trust in Christ that died for me; But is Christ's Death the death of thy sins? Canst thou see those lusts which like Pharaoh and the Egyptians did once rule over and oppress thee, now drowned in the Red Sea of Christ's blood. This is necessary if thou wilt have any comfort because Christ is dead, see whether thou art dead to sin or no: Art thou as a dead man who in respect of all pleasures and delights finds no Inclination, thus it ought to be with thee: The Scripture speaks often concerning this, that the godly are dead to sin, sin hath not that dominion and power once it had; Oh but how many as the Scripture distinguisheth are dead in sin not to sin; Though they have mountains of sins lie upon them, Though the vengeance of God belong to them all the day long; That whether they are eating, drinking, or sleeping, they are an accursed people by the Law, which is God's own Sentence and doom, yet for all that they are not afraid, neither do they tremble; Oh then examine thyself faithfully in this, If Christ died for me how comes this sin to live in me, for Christ like Sampson when he died wrought the death of his Enemies; When he died, it was that those lively active lusts should die also.
[ 2] 2. If thou hast an Interest in Christ's Death thou art not only dead to sin but to the world, God forbid that I should glory (saith Paul) but in the Cross of Christ, whereby the world is crucified to me and I to the world, Gal. 6.14. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth, for ye are dead, Col. 3.2, 3. Therefore not only gross profaneness doth exclude from a propriety in Christ's Death, but an immoderate frame of heart to these lawful things below; Indeed if thy overflowing affections to these things be a burden to thee, and matter of daily conflict, then it's plain these immoderate affections are not in a quiet pacifical dominion over thee, and so they are the evil thou wouldst not do; And then these can never hurt non sensus but consensus nocet : But if they do withal delight so possess thy heart that they quite dead thee to God and heaven, Thou findest no relish in heavenly things comparatively to the earthly; Thou canst say contrary to David, when thy Wine and Oil increaseth thou hast more joy then those that trust in God, Psal. 4. Then art thou to fear Christ's Death, and his Prayer doth not as yet belong to thee. Hence it is that the efficacy of Christ's death is much discovered in the godly by this twofold Death it works on them, a death to sin, and a death to the world ; Even his Resurrection manifests itself in quickening of us to all holiness, and seeking of those things that are above; Let us then see by the effects that Christ's Death belongs to thee.
[ 3] 3. They that have an Interest in Christ's Death they make that an example of all patience and humble Resignation, 1 Pet. 2.21, 24. Christ's Death is not only efficacious and meritorious but exemplary also, So that if the Lord afflict us it is no more then what hath been done to his only Son already; Though he were a Son, yet he learned Obedience (saith the Scripture) by those sufferings ; Heb. 5 6. Now then behold Christ in all his sufferings, when he was reviled reviled not again, when he suffered threatened not; What threatenings might not Christ have denounced against the Jews because they killed him who was the Prince of glory, and so dear to his Father, but he is like a Lamb that opens not his mouth before the shearer or the killer: Oh then how should this shame us for our unruly passions, for our impatient workings and commotions of soul; Oh silence thy Soul, saying, Did Christ bear his afflictions no otherwise? Did Christ refuse the bitter cup that was given him to drink? Did he not say, Not my will, but thy will be done.
[ 4] 4. He that hath advantage by Christ's Death looks upon the bitterness and ugliness of sin as being so foul that nothing but the blood of Christ could wash it away : The very thoughts of Christ's Death presently makes him say, Oh the cursed and foul nature of all sin; Neither men nor Angels could take away the spot of it but only Christ's Death; Wicked men therefore they are said to trample under feet the blood of Christ. Heb. 10. Because they have not those right precious thoughts about it as they ought to have; Though the blood of Christ speaks better things then that of Abel, yet it doth in some respects speak more terrible things, because by that we see how infinitely God is displeased with sin, how unsatisfied his justice was till such an atonement was made; So that if we look into hell, if we behold all the torments and miseries there, it doth not so fully represent the foul guilt of sin as Christ crucified on the Cross, sweating drops of blood, and crying out, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?
[ 5] 5. They that shall have advantage by Christ's Death they are infinitely affected with that love of God and Christ therein ; As you see in Paul, That love of Christ giving himself for us sinners and enemies, to be reconciled thereby to God; Oh how mightily did it constrain Paul 2 Cor. 5.14. The love of Christ constraineth us, holds us in an ecstacy, working on us, as the Spirit did on the Prophets in their illuminations and prophesies; And why so? Because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead ; To consider from what a dying damning estate Christ's Death doth free us, must needs be like fire burning and inflaming a man all over; If we had not been desperately dead, dead every way, dead in sin, dead in guilt, dead in respect of all earthly hope, Christ would not have died for us; Oh then the unspeakable affections and enlargements which the Death of Christ works in those that have a propriety therein.
[ 6] 6. They that have a propriety in Christ's Death will resign all they have up unto Christ, and now live no longer to themselves or to worldly motives, but unto Christ ; Rom. 6.10, 11. 1 Pet 2.24. so 1 Cor. 6.20. the Apostle urgeth because we are bought with a price, therefore we are none of our own, and we should glorify God in soul and body ; He then that can claim a Title to Christ's Death looks not upon his body, his estate, his health, his parts, the faculties and affections of his soul, as his own, his love is not, his anger is not; Oh how rare then are they who may urge this Argument, Christ died, Christ was crucified for me, for unless thou art a redeemed man and that from thyself, and all creatures in the world, to live wholly to Christ, and to resign all up to him, here is little hope for thee; Observe then these qualifications, and if upon true search they can be found in thee, then proceed to make an application of all those glorious privileges that come by Christ's death; Fear not, let not the devil or thy own guilty heart keep thee off from tasting, yea, eating abundantly of this honey: Hearken what Christ speaks to his Church concerning privileges and gracious favors, Cant. 5.1. Eat O Friends, drink, • ea drink abundantly ;
[ 1] And 1. Those that can plead Christ's Death may also plead his Resurrection, Intercession, and whatsoever glorious actions of his are done for his people; If Christ died for thee, he rose again for thee, he interceded in heaven for thee; When thou sayest he is an Advocate to plead thy cause, Rom 8. It's Christ that died who is risen again, so that the Death of Christ is the foundation of all his other gracious acts: Hence it is that the remission of our sins is attributed to the shedding of his blood: The atonement of our iniquities is given unto his death, because in it he did manifest the greatest obedience unto the will of God, and the lowest humiliation of himself for us, Phil. 2. If then thou hast a propriety in the death of Christ, Christ hath done the utmost for thee even to die for thee; You see that put him upon the greatest strugglings and agonies, if he would have refused in anything it would have been in this; This was the bitterest cup he was to drink of: Oh then the glorious privilege of him who hath a propriety in the death of Christ, he is thereby interested in all the Offices, all the actions of Christ in all that Christ is or can do for us.
[ 2] 2. He that hath Interest in Christ's Death hath a propriety in all the benefits of his Mediatorship, Justification, Sanctification, Glorification▪ Rom. 8. The Apostle hangs all these admirable benefit ultimately upon Christ's Death, Who shall condemn? it's Christ that died ; So that Christ is that dead Lion wherein as Sampson we may find so much honey not only for ourselves but for the refreshment of all others; This Argument cannot be denied at the Throne of grace, It's stronger then sin and devils; O Lord I am one for whom Christ died, Can Justice, can the Law, can the devil condemn? Here was an atonement, and Christ's doing it once was enough; The Apostle saith Heb. 10.14. By one offering of himself he perfected forever all them that are sanctified ; The Apostle puts much in this one offering, and that he did it once, showing thereby that if Christ had been crucified a thousand times over, yet he could not have more perfected the salvation of the godly then he did by that once offering; Say then when thou prayest for pardon, for sanctification, for the favor of God; O Lord I ask not for such great things as thou hast done already, I do not beg a Christ to die for me, I do not ask a Christ to be crucified for me, yet this thou hast done, and therefore where the greater is granted the less will not be refused.
[ 3] 3. Where we can prove an interest in Christ's death there we may be sure no other good thing in heaven or earth shall be denied unto us ; And what can a godly man desire more; If thou shouldst sit down to think and think again, canst thou go beyond this? Lord give me all things that are good for me; Now the Apostle urgeth this, Rom. 8. If he hath delivered up Christ for us, how shall he not with him give us all things else, all things, There is nothing in heaven and earth, but thou mayest have from God as well as Christ, and truly the argument is undeniable, if God will give us his only Son to die that ignominious death for us, what gift can there be like to this? God himself hath not a greater gift to bestow upon us, There is nothing in heaven or earth can be paralleled to him, if therefore thou hast Christ, thou hast enough, whatsoever thou wantest it is not because God doth not love thee, or because his merciful thoughts are not towards thee, but because many good things are not absolutely good in themselves, and so not wholly necessary for thee, if thou couldst be no more without riches, and honors then thou canst be without Christ, thou wert sure to have all these things in abundance; The Apostle himself who made this Conclusion, yet he tells of the manifold perplexities and afflictions he was many times in: He tells us, that if the godly had hope in this life only they were of all men most miserable ; Though he had Christ, and so might have all things, thereby, yet thus he speaks; No wonder then if the people of God do or should rejoice under miseries and troubles they have this cordial to revive them.
4. He that hath a propriety in Christ's death may from this special love to him rather then others, have an assured persuasion of his immovable state in grace here, till he be removed to glory hereafter ; For how can it be thought that Christ will lose that child of his for whose sake he endured all that misery and agony as he did, after he hath suffered thus many things shall it be in vain; No (saith Paul) from the consideration of Christ's death, Rom. 8. Who shall separate us? Shall tribulation, anguish, shall things present or things to come.
Lastly, They that are planted with Christ in his Death they have this privilege to rejoice in all tribulations, and especially to be above the fear of death ; For Christ's death took away sin the sting of death; See how Christ triumphs and giveth every godly man leave to rejoice, 1 Cor. 15. O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy Victory? For that death could have no power over Christ, but he brake the bands of it asunder, therefore it is that the members of Christ enjoy the same privilege; Therefore under all temptations and fears run to the death of Christ, It was the death of all afflictions and death itself, all the nature of such things is turned by Christ's death, they are mercies, they are inlets to glory:
SERMON XLVI. Of Free-Grace, opposite to Arminianism; Tending to raise the hearts of those that are Godly to Joy and Thankfulness.
JOH. 17.9.
WE handled that dreadful passage, I pray not for the world, at which saith Gerard, Mundus debet coherrescere, sed existimat ludum, ac jocum suo cum prestantissimo exitio.
We come to a second description of those that are included in Christ's Prayer, and they are characterized by this, They are given by the Father to Christ ; Certainly there must be much in this Consideration; For our Savior doth no less then five times use it in this Prayer, and Joh. 6. it's used several times.
I handled it before but then I considered it much as it did imply the trust and charge Christ had by this gift: God the Father gave them to Christ as a faithful Mediator, he betrusted him with them as a people whose Salvation he should obtain, and accordingly Christ was faithful to make these a peculiar people and God's precious Jewels; They were given him as a King to govern, as a Physician to heal, as a Mediator to save, and as a Shepherd to feed, and this propriety that both God and Christ hath in them is a great ground why God should hear Christ's Prayer for them.
But I shall now consider this phrase, as it tells us the manner how they were made Christ's, and that is by mere gift and grace ; God did not see or foresee any merits or works in those Disciples more then others, for all are alike corrupted in that common mass of mankind, but it was his mere and sole good pleasure, For Gratia non est gratia ullo modo, nisi sit gratuiha omni modo ; We see then here what is the womb that first giveth a being to all those thar are saved, and that is God's grace in giving some to Christ ; Now what is meant by this giving to Christ; It cannot be any other thing but God's Predestination and Election of some with the necessary effects of it in time, as Vocation, Justification, &c. It's a phrase that is like an hard stone to the Arminians teeth, it troubleth them exceedingly, and therefore see what violence they offer to this phrase; By this giving to Christ is meant say they, the disposition and ready Obedience which some give to God's call ; O monstrous Transubstantiation, like that of the Papists of the bread into Christ's body; For that which the Scripture giveth expressly to God they take away and give to man; The Scripture saith, God giveth them, and they say man giveth himself; We see that not only the ignorant and unlearned but even learned men corrupted may wrest the Scripture to their destruction; But to discover this Interpretation is refutation enough; Indeed it cannot be denied but that in this Chapter there is a twofold giving of some to Christ.
1. By Election and Sanctification to Eternal Life.
2. A peculiar segregation or destination to some Office; Of this latter our Savior speaks afterwards, say some, when he said, None had perished of those whom the Father had given him but the Son of Perdition ; But of the former he speaks v. 2. He giveth Eternal Life to everyone that was given him, and v. 9. They were given him out of the world, whereas Judas was always of the world, and thus it is taken here; So that to be given by Christ is for the Father freely out of his mere good pleasure to choose some in Christ to Eternal Life, sanctifying and calling of them in time, So that the Fountain of all the good we have is the mere grace and love of God; The discriminating difference why Christ prayeth not for the world but his Disciples, and in them all believers, is not from any good or worth in them, but merely from the mere gift of God.
Obs. That all the spritual good the godly enjoy is merely and solely from the gift and grace of God ; This is a Point that the Scripture doth most diligently press and that over and over again, because we are so apt to attribute something to ourselves; Thus the Apostle speaks generally, Jam. 1.17. Every good and perfect gift comes from above ; The earth is no more able to give light to the world then we can do that which is truly good of ourselves; Therefore 2 Cor. 21.4. What hast thou thou hast not received? The Apostle makes an universal charge, so that to say I have received from myself and made myself to differ from others, (as Grevinchovius the Arminian) is to blaspheme in an high manner, and to put ourselves in the place of God; You see whatsoever privilege God's people have, it is because they are given to Christ.
For the full discovery of this we shall instance in some of the choicest and most fundamental privileges the godly have, and you shall find they are all so many beamlings from the glorious Fountain of grace; They are so many sprouts from that Root.
And first of Election which is the first step of God's love to us, this we shall find to be only of God's gift, and that is demonstrated thus.
[Reasons. 1] 1. From the Original of it ; It's only the mere pleasure of his will: If it be asked why hath God mercy on this or that man so as to make him happy to all Eternity, the answer is, So is the will of God, Eph. 1. Rom. 9. You see there all is resolved into this, The counsel of his will : and Mat. 11. Even so Father, for so it pleaseth thee : Hence Rom. 9. It's not of him that willeth or runneth, but of him that showeth mercy ; Those therefore that find the certain effects of this ancient and unchangeable love of God, with what praise and glory are they to break out unto God, if they had not only the tongues but the hearts of men and Angels, they were not sufficient for this work to glorify God, for what is a drop to the Ocean, a spark to the fire, a stone to the Mountain, a candle to the Sun: Hence it is for this use that it's necessary, as the Apostle doth often to inform the Children of God concerning their Election, because that is the first round in that Ladder of God's mercies descending upon us: Oh then be thou astonished at this goodness of God, it lay in his will to refuse thee and take another; There was nothing but his mere Sovereignty and absolute good counsel hath made thee a fit vessel for glory, and left others as vessels of wrath by their own voluntary Apostasy in Adam ; Oh say in thy Meditation, O Lord I am silenced, I can go no further, the waters overflow me.
[Reasons. 2] 2. This Election is merely of God's goodness, because it's not for any foreseen merits or faith ; We had nothing at all to be more acceptable to God then others, for there are some who are enemies to the grace of God, and under the praise of nature and free-will hide their secret opposition to God's grace; Whereas Bonaventure said well, If we must err it's safer to err in giving too much to grace, then too much to free-will ; These corrupt Doctors they have no way to vent their poison but by saying and maintaining, that though God hath chosen some before others, yet it was because he did foresee who would by Faith and good works, with perseverance therein, continue faithful to God; But how extreme injurious is this to God's Election, for by this means we shall choose God first and not God us? But what saith our Savior, I have chosen you and not you me, 1 Joh. 4.10. Not that we first loved God but God us : Here you see that it's God who first beginneth with us, God first chose us, God first loved us, and then we loved him: Therefore let not the Godly heart endure such Doctrines that shall tell us, God saw a better use of thy free-will in thee then in others; And hence it is that thou art Elected to glory and not others, for then it would not be pre-destination but post-destination; And besides, then no man could be Elected before the last moment of his life; For who can tell whether he shall persevere or no? So that these Doctrines rob God of his honor, and his people of their comforts.
[Reasons. 3] 3. Election must needs be of Grace, and so we are given to Christ, because of that wretched and sinful estate we are all in by Adams Fall ; Upon his Apostasy we are all involved in his guilt, We are by nature Children of wrath, Ephes. 2.3. Though there were no actual sins to witness against us; Seeing then there was nothing in us but sin and misery, it's no wonder if God doth what he doth out of his mere grace and favor, I acknowledge there are many eminent and learned Divines called Supralapsarians because they hold an Election of some and a pretention of others even before Adams Fall, and thereupon make Election not an action of grace, because it supposeth no sin but of mere dominion and sovereignty, whereby he may dispose of his creature as he pleaseth, but I think it more consonant to Scripture to hold an Election that supposeth man's fall, and that we are all in a corrupt lump and mass, and hereby the grace and free favor of God is made more illustrious; Hence the Apostle to the Ephesians is large to show what they are by nature, and how corrupt of themselves, that so the grace of God may be made more manifest; Such thorns as we are, cannot bear any grapes, Such polluted Fountains as we are, cannot send forth sweet streams.
[Reasons. 4] 4. Our Election must needs be free and gracious, because all the good we are able to do, and all the holiness we have is the fruit and effect of Election; He hath chosen us to be holy and unblameable, Eph. 1.4. So some believed because they were ordained to Eternal Life, to be holy, not because we were holy; They were not ordained to Eternal life because they believed, but they believed because they were ordained to Eternal life: Thus you see that godliness being the effect of our Election it cannot be the cause, and therefore the godly have cause to cry out oh the depths and unsearchable riches of grace!
Lastly. If we consider Election comparatively, so it must be wholly of God's mere gift ; That is, why God chooseth some and not others, yea, why sometimes the vilest and worst of sinners are taken, and others more civil and better moralized are left: The Apostle 1 Cor. 2. aggravateth this, Not many wise, not many noble hath God chosen, but the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; And thus our Savior Mat. 11. Thou hast hidden them from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes ; And it must needs be thus amongst men, for so it was with the Angels; The Scripture speaks of Elect Angels, Now why did some Angels fall and others are confirmed in their eternal happy abode, it cannot be any other cause but their Election; Therefore when all things are duly considered we must say with the Apostle Eph. 1. That we are predestinated before the foundation of the world that we should be to the praise of his glorious grace.
The second step of that Ladder whereby the grace of God descends upon us is Vocation and Regeneration ; That whereby the Lord doth graciously repair his lost image in us, and of dead in sin makes us live a spiritual life.
Now that this also is wholly of grace appeareth,
[Reasons. 1] 1. From that original sin defiling the whole man with all the cursed effects thereof, for we are not merely deprived of all good but positively inclined to all evil, and filled with a cursed opposition to what is holy; The Scripture is very plentiful and emphatical in describing this sinful misery of ours; We are brambles and briars in the Wilderness till he plant us goodly plants in his Garden; We are compared to all manner of beasts for the sinful qualities in us, till he make us Sons of God, so that we would wonder to see the presumption and arrogancy of those Doctrines that would make man free to do good; Whereas our Savior said, Then are we free when the Son hath made us free, Joh. 8.36. Tunc arbitrium est liberum, quando liberatum.
[Reasons. 2] 2. It's all of grace, because the Scripture attributeth this work solely to God ; That famous promise I will take away an heart of stone, Eze. 11.19. I will give an heart of flesh, I will write my Law in their hearts, do argue he must be willfully blind that will not acknowledge this to be God's work alone; Now then if it be God's work it cannot be ours also, unless subjectively, not causally; Hence it's called the New Creature, because God immediately gives us such a being, and indeed the experience of the godly soul doth evidently witness this; How long should I have wallowed in my lusts? how unwilling to leave them till God changed my heart; If God had stayed for my consent and cooperation, I had still been in the gall of bitterness; It's God then and not man who layeth the first stone in this spiritual building: Doth not the heart of a godly man inform him of more Orthodoxy in this Point then most Books will do? Didst thou not keep thy lusts with all might? Didst thou not wage open war against God? Didst thou yield thyself by agreement, or not rather by full conquest?
Lastly, That our vocation and conversion is wholly of grace appeareth, if we consider many persons who are thus called, as many profane and wicked persons; Men in league with divers temptations to sin, such as Paul, Mary Magdalene, Matthew the Publican, What condignity or congruity, which the Papists speak of so much, could be in these men? And therefore observe how Paul upon all occasions doth willingly enlarge himself to speak of the grace of God to him the chiefest of all sinners: Austin in his Confessions do •• excellently acknowledge the unwillingness in himself to be turned from his lusts till God had overpowered him, and therefore he calls grace verticordis very emphatically.
The third step of these eminent gifts God giveth his people is Justification from their sins ; This is so great a matter that the Apostle makes our blessedness to consist in it; And David Psa. 32. out of the sense of this mercy overlooks all temporal comforts, though never so great, and admireth this: Now this is wholly of grace, Rom. 3.24. Being justified freely by his grace ; The Apostle puts two words to show that it is altogether from the mere grace of God that we partake of such a privilege.
Now the Grounds why Justification and pardon of sin must needs be of Grace, is
[ 1] 1. Because the Justice of God is like himself infinite ; and so all the tears and grievances we may put ourselves upon are not able to recompense God; We see the damned in hell are therefore detained in those chains of darkness to all Eternity, because they are not able to satisfy the justice of God, if they could pay to the last farthing then they would be set at liberty; Every sin then even the least hath an infinite guilt in it in respect of God's infinite Majesty against whom it is committed, so that neither one man, no nor all men or Angels are able to expunge the least blot; Oh then tremble under the least sin thou art guilty of; Little dost thou consider how insupportable the guilt of it is, how impotent thyself and all the world is to cancel and wipe out this debt.
[ 2] 2. It must needs be of grace because Christ made himself an expiatory atonement and sacrifice for our sins ; God made our iniquities to meet upon him, Isa. 53. yea, he was made a curse for our sakes, so that the doing away of our iniquities is wholly of grace to us, for that was Christ's work, he undertook this load, which would have crushed us into the lowest hell; If he that was God as well as man did yet sweat drops of blood under this Agony, and cried out, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? If the green Tree burn thus what shall the dry do? For thee therefore to think by thy tears and Repentance to expiate thy sin is wholly to mistake the necessity of Christ a Mediator; This is to put an Atlas his burden upon a Pigmies shoulder; See what the weight of sin did upon Cain and Judas? though they would have given a world, yet they could not obtain the lest drop of water to ease their spirits, but like Dives were tormented in hell while here on earth; Oh then that wicked men would consider more, they lay load upon load, but who at last shall take it off; Thou thinkest not that though sin for the present be sweet, yet it hath an eternal sting with it; What wilt thou do when at last thou shalt cry out with Cain, My sin is greater then I can bear.
Lastly, The last and utmost step of God's mercy to us is glorification and making of us happy forever ; When he hath done this there remaineth no more to be done, and even this Crown of Glory is put upon our heads because of grace, Rom. 6.23. The gift of God is Eternal Life ; And Tit. 2. We are saved by grace, not by works; The Apostle doth in that place with exact diligence shut them out from any share in our Salvation:
Now that all this, from the first to the last, even salvation itself is of grace will appear,
[ 1] 1. From the imperfection that cleaveth to the best things we do ; Insomuch that they need grace to pardon, so far are they from having any worth in them for heaven; This made the Apostle Paul, account all that he had and did dung and dross for the Righteousness of Christ; This made David pray that God would not enter into judgment or be strict to mark what is done amiss; When we have done all we must say we are unprofitable Servants, how much more when we come far short of all.
[ 2] 2. If we consider the transcendent dignity of that glory God will bestow on us ; It must needs be solely of grace; For the Apostle tells us The eye hath not seen it▪ nor the ear heard it, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive of is, 1 Cor. 2.9. It's no less then enjoying God himself, The immediate fruition of himself is the only happiness we shall have ; Now what comparison is there between our graces, and God himself, Again the Transcendency is seen in the duration: Suppose our graces were present yet are they but for a season; They are transient expressions; Whereas our happiness doth endure forever.
3. If we are enabled to do any good thing, we are so far from deserving at God's hand, That we are the more obliged to him, and ought to be the more thankful, Coronat dona sua, non merita nostra ; The more thou art enabled to repent or believe, the more thankful art thou to be to the grace of God: Thus all is of grace.
But you will say, Is not heaven called a reward? At the day of Judgment doth not God pronounce a blessing because of the good works they have done? Are they not called Blessed that die in the Lord because their works follow them? Rev. 14.13.
All this is true, but this proveth no more then that an holy life and godly works they are via Regni not causa Regnandi, as Bernard long since; If we do not strive and labor we shall never have this Crown; If we use not violence we shall never get this Kingdom, So that grace doth not encourage to sin, or maintain slothfulness, but we as the Apostle urgeth, Phil. 2. are encouraged to work out our salvation because that it's God who giveth us to will and to do.
[Use 1] Use of Instruction to the godly, Are they wholly the gift of God in Christ? Is all from the grace of God, then let the people of God walk humbly and thankfully? Oh it's a close secret sin to have self-dependence, self-confidence, and yet there is no sin hath greater enmity to the Gospel of Christ then this; Neither do thou think to divide the matter between grace and thy duties, as the Papists make our hope to be coming partly from our merits, and partly from the grace of God; What shall David, Shall Paul, such eminent Cedars in Lebanon, fear their own selves, and dost thou a low shrub boast of thyself? Herein commonly is the difference between a true godly man and a civil virtuous man, the one hath a secret hope in himself, but the other looks for and expects grace as merely from God, as if he never had done a good work in his life.
[Use 2] Use 2. Let this grace of God quicken thee to all life and zeal for God; Grace is like fire to melt thee; If man's kindness worketh upon a good nature, how much rather should God's kindness upon a sanctified and a renewed nature.
SERMON XLVII. Of God's Propriety in his People as the Ground of all the Good that accrueth to them.
JOH. 17.9.
THis is the third and last description which our Savior useth of those who are the objects of his prayer, viz. The propriety that God hath in them, They are his own.
I have handled this Point formerly, but then I did it under an absolute notion, showing you how many ways the people of God were his People, but I shall now treat on it relatively, as it's an Argument used by our Savior why he should be heard in his prayer for his Disciples; And certainly here is much of strength in it, They are thine, I pray not for thy Enemies nor for strangers, but such as are near thee, that are of thy own household, such upon whom already thou hast placed thy love and delight, so that our Savior makes the propriety God hath in his Disciples, and so in all believers, to be the ground of his prayer for them; And indeed this must needs be very effectual, for the Apostle argueth, If any man provide not for his own, 1 Tim. 1.0. he is worse then an Infidel ; If then God doth so greatly abhor him who takes not care for his own, Shall not the Lord himself provide for his? Thus Ephes. 1.29. the Apostle urging the duty of Husbands to Wives argueth from propriety, Their own Wives; and no man ever hated his own flesh ; Now then God takes this relation of an Husband to his people, and because they are his therefore he will hear their prayer, and vouchsafe all good to them; Propriety is so great a matter that Aristotle makes it the cause of all the labor and trading that is in the world, insomuch that he saith, If all things were common the world would be filled with idle persons, but because it's their own ground, their own wealth, their own riches, therefore they are so diligent to increase in these things: None regard the air, the light of the Sun because it's common to all, Whereas if they could be appropriated, if no man had the light of the Sun but one or few men, Oh what a price would be put upon it; It's then propriety both with God and man that is the Fountain of all good, of all care, and brings about all the blessedness that God's Children have.
To open this Point, and not to fall in with what you have heard already,
1. Take notice That a people becomes the Lord's peculiar ones, his Jewels, solely by his grace and goodwill; He hath chosen us, and not we him, he loved us first : The great God of heaven who might have made other people, other persons his treasure, did out of his own mere goodness take thee and thee into such a blessed relation: The Apostle doth everywhere in his Epistles reduce it to this cause, The counsel of his will, and out of his mere grace, and certainly if Deut. 9.5. the Lord doth again and again inform the Israelites, that it was not for their righteousness, or any good in them but merely because be set his love on them, that he made them his external people by an outward Covenant; how much rather must it needs be the mere grace of God to make a people inwardly and spiritually his, so that whosoever find themselves thus appropriated to God, to be able with the Church to say as she doth many times, because our blessedness lieth in this, I am my well-beloveds, and my well-beloved is mine, Cant. 6.3. Oh let such be deeply humbled and even astonished under the discriminating Grace of God, I am the Lord's when the devils are not, when such men of parts, abilities, and great Revenues in the world; And if the Lord would have looked to anything in man, how many thousands are there that if converted would have been more glorious Instruments of God's glory then I am.
2. As it is the mere goodness of God to make a people his, so it is not out of any want or any necessity, any need that he hath of us, that he did thus make us his, and this also is a quickening consideration; Husbands have Wives because they want such helps, Masters have Servants because they need them; Even the greatest Monarchs want their people; But it is otherwise with God, My goodness extends not to thee, saith David, Psa. 16.2. And thus Job was told, that if he were perfect and righteous he did not advantage God, God is the El Shaddai the All Sufficient God blessed and happy enough in himself; Though he had never created the world, Though he had not appointed one man to Eternal glory, yet such was his goodness that he would have those Objects to whom he might communicate of his fullness; And therefore God of many thousands hath made such and such his, not that he wanted their graces, duties, or prayers, but that they might partake of his riches.
3. When Christ saith here, They are thine, he doth not exclude himself from having a propriety in them, nor the holy Ghost neither; For this is the infinite privilege of the Godly that they are both the Fathers, and the Sons, and the holy Ghosts, not only because whatsoever one person hath the other hath, as Christ saith, All mine are thine, and thine are mine but in an appropriated consideration; Thus Christ saith, they are the Fathers, They are thine in the present tense, he had formerly at the sixth Verse used the preterperfect tense Thine they were, but now he useth the present tense to show, that though the Father had given them to Christ, yet he had not abdicated or quitted himself of his interest in them, he had not so given them to the Son as that the Father had no dominion or right to them, but they did still continue the the Fathers possession though they were given to Christ; And as they are the Fathers so they are the Sons purchased people also; They belong to Christ in an endeared manner, which makes them to be called bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, Eph. 5.30. To be his members and body as he is the head; They are also the holy Ghosts, and therefore they are said to have the Spirit dwelling in them, and they are his Temple, and they are led by the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit ; We are the Fathers by mere grace, and therefore are given to Christ as a Mediator; We are Christ's by merit, for he purchased us by his blood; We are the Spirits by operation, for he works the holy Image of God in us: Oh then that our hearts were enlarged in this matter, that we might wonder how and why we who are not worth the owning or the the looking after, should yet be made the Lord's in such endeared respects.
4. When the Godly are said to be the Fathers, though it doth not exclude the other persons, yet it doth all other creatures ; By this we are delivered from all other proprietors and interest whatsoever, and this makes the phrase to contain in it a Treasure of happiness, as first, Seeing we are the Fathers, therefore we are no longer the devils: We are no more in his possession and under his dominion; We may see by the Scripture in what a woeful and cursed state all men by nature are, They belong to the devil, they are his proper goods; The devil hath them as his, even as he hath the damned in hell, though in this life there may be hope of delivering them, whereas the damned have none, Eph. 2. The devil who is called the God of this world is said to rule in the hearts of the disobedient ; Hell is not more the devils place then the heart of a wicked man, and therefore 1 Tim. 2.26. they are said to be Captives to the devil, to be like tamed birds, and our Savior tells the Pharisees, They were of their Father the devil, Joh. 8. And why? because they did his works ; So that whosoever doth the works, committeth the sins that the devils do, the devil is their Father; Though they rage and are mad at such a charge, and this is the reason in part why the glorious fruit of Christ's death is called a Redemption, and why he is called a Redeemer, because we were wholly in bondage and captivity to the devil; We were his, he had a proper right to us till Christ redeemed us. Oh that the ungodly men of the world should hear this and not tremble, Whose art thou? To whom dost thou belong? Who may challenge thee but the devil? There are a cursed sort of men who give themselves to the devil by compact in the ways of witchcrafts; Now all wicked men though not by such an express Covenant, yet implicitly by their wicked ways give themselves up to be the devils: Oh what a terrible thing is this to consider, that though thou canst say, These grounds are mine, these Cattle are mine, these goods are mine, yet thou thyself art the devils; Oh consider that the devil will have his own when thou diest, he will lose nothing; Neither soul or body shall escape him if thou continue his: Be thou awakened out of thy desperate estate, If thou art not God's Inheritance thou art the devils possession, and thy tongue, thy eyes, thy body, thy whole life proclaimeth to whom thou dost belong.
2. In being the Fathers, as we are no longer Satan's, so neither the worlds or men's in the world : Hence we are commanded not to be Servants to men, 1 Cor. 7.13. or please men, and to call none Father on earth, Mat. 23.9. The sense of such commands is, that we are not to put our hopes and trust in men, not to give up ourselves to their commands when contrary to God, yet this is a sin that all are prone unto; It's the Favor of men, the power and greatness of men that swayeth us more then God: Alas thou wert not created or redeemed, or regenerated, to make man thus a God unto thee: Whence is it that our fear is a man's fear? yea, our Religion a man's Religion: but because we are not yet delivered from man's thralldom, so neither are we the worlds; For our Savior saith, We are given out of the world to Christ : Why then are we so immoderate in our cares and affections about these things? It's not the world that is ours; The Church was seen clothed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, Rev. 12.1. God hath made the earth under us, and Gold and Silver to be in the bowels thereof, implying the low esteem we ought to have of them, and that we look not on the world as a resting place, but seek for heaven,
Lastly, We are none of our own in being the Fathers ; Thus the Apostle, We are none of our own, Therefore we are to glorify God both in soul and body, 1 Cor. 6.20. Our Tongues, our Body, our Affections, are not our own; We may not love as we list, nor desire as we list: It's thset and Sacrilege thus to steal from God; Why should it be a wound in thy Conscience to detain that which is another man's, and not rather that which is God's: My Son give me thy heart ; If sin hath it, If the world hath it, these are not the right owners; Remember whose thou art, and this will keep thee solely and wholly for God.
These things premised let us now see How the Propriety we have in God is the cause of all our good ;
And in the general there is no temporal or spiritual good we have, but our propriety in God is the Foundation of it: If the Apostle argue that because he hath given us Christ, how shall he not with him give us all things else? Rom. 8. How much rather if God give us himself, shall he not give us all things: The marrow and whole substance of the Covenant of grace lieth in this, That God will be our God and we shall be his People: God doth not find us but make us his, and when so made then all good things are bestowed on us; We will select some choice particulars, and that two ways.
- 1. Of those good things we have from God.
- 2. Of those good things we have by approaching to good our active and passive good.
And first Pardon of sin in which the Psalmist speaks our blessedness to consist is given us because we are hi • . Thus Heb. 8. when God promised to be the God of his People in the Covenant of Grace, Then followeth the Forgiveness of their sins, And he will remember their Iniquities no more ; And this they must necessarily enjoy, For Guilt of sin separateth between God and the sinner, it makes him at a distance, and in a state of Enmity; But this propriety takes away all Ground of Condemnation, Rom. 8. Because they belong to God therefore they are pardoned; David's sins were fouler then Saul's ; But besides that David had a better heart then Saul; David had a propriety in God, and so had not Saul : Oh the Encouragement that God's Children have upon this account to pray for pardon: It's more in God then in thy Repentance or Tears; That is the surest Refuge they have, they are the Fathers: Therefore
2. Because they have more choice and intimate Fellowship and Communion with the Father then the world: They have the Light of his Countenance, assurance of his Love: They have the hidden Manna; They have a peculiar Enjoyment of him, which is more as David saith, Psal. 4. then the wicked men have when their Wine and Oil increaseth : They are called Friends in opposition to Servants by Christ, Joh. 15.15. And therefore are admitted into that presence and those heavenly Secrets, which wicked men know not, which made the Church repeat this so often, She was her well beloveds, and her well beloved was hers, Cant. 6.3. And from this followeth that holy and heavenly Communion with Christ which the Church hath; Oh if the world did but know what the Godly have from God, Other meat, Other Riches, Other Comforts then they understand: How would they lament their distance from God? They have Husks only when there is the fatted Calf in our Fathers House; Insomuch that though the Godly have not the good things of this Life always, yet they have the good, yea, the better things of Heaven and Happiness as a Viaticum in their Journey thither.
3. Because they have a Propriety in Christ therefore they are protected and preserved : The Eye of God is said to run up and down the Earth, to stand in the behalf of the upright in heart; They are God's Treasure, and so his heart and love must be towards them, I am thine save me, saith David, Psal. 119.94. Propriety engageth God, all Creatures look to their own, yea, they venture their lives to save their young ones: The cruel and most wild Creatures are fierce to defend their own; Now at the Psalmist argueth, He that made the Eye shall not be see, He that planted the Ear shall not he hear? Thus he that hath put into the nature of all creatures to protect their young ones, Will not he do the like? This Argument the Church useth when she saith, Isaiah 63 9. We are thine, and are called by thy Name ; Insomuch that there is a wonderful expression in Zech. 2.8. He that toucheth you toucheth the Apple of my Eye ; How carefully hath nature defended that as being a precious and dear part in a man; Yet thus God is pleased to account of those that are his, And therefore he is said to be afflicted in all their afflictions: Oh then that the Godly would improve this propriety more; They fear this danger, this Trial, this Calamity; Art thou not the Lord's? Will not he look to thee more then thou couldest thyself? Thou art more his then thy own; It's indeed no such matter for thee to lose thy health, thy Comforts, thy Life, but for God to lose his goods, his Inheritance, his Jewels, would highly redound to his dishonor; Therefore the Lord is said to know how to deliver those that are Righteous, 2 Peter 2.9. They are under God's care; And therefore thy Condition is more secure then if the whole world were to keep thee; For he that keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, Psal. 121.3.
4. Because they are the Fathers therefore they are sure to persevere, and not to apostatize from the ways of grace and holiness; Adam indeed was his, and the Angels before their Fall were his, but because not his in that sure and better Covenant, which is established by the blood of Christ. Therefore they fell from that propriety, but now a sure and everlasting Covenant is made through Christ; They if once his, always his▪ Hence our Savior saith, None can pluck them out of his Fathers hand, John 18.29. Because the Father is greater then all: Out of his hand, that is a very comfortable expression, as if God held them always in his hand, as we do those things that are precious, and therefore we are kept by the power of God to Salvation ; Oh how often should we lose our propriety, forfeit our Interest, become sins and Satan's, did not he keep us his? This preserving of us his, is more then making us his at first, for such is our falsehood and inconstancy, that we should every day dissolve all those bonds of love between God and us: Did not he put this fear in our hearts? Oh by this it is that we do not only live his but die his: By this it is that we may with Triumph take up Paul's persuasion, That nothing shall separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus, Rom. 8. Build not then thy Perseverance upon thy graces but God's propriety.
These may suffice for the former part, then in the next place, This propriety God hath in us is the cause of all our good, in our approaches unto God.
And First, It is that only which administers confidence and fervency in prayer ; What hopes, what strivings, what agonies could there be in Prayer, if it were not for this he is our God we are praying unto? Who can hopefully pray to an Enemy or Adversary, to a condemning Judge, but when to a gracious Father that breedeth encouragement; Thus we are taught to pray Our Father ; And the Spirit of God is especially for this appropriating confidence to call God Abba Father, and what is it that makes David so full of hopes even in sad Temptations, because God was his God, his buckler, his Shield; And it's said in that sad perplexity he was in at Ziklag, he encouraged himself in his God, 1 Sam. 30.6. So that take this away and you take away the very soul and life of all prayers.
[ 2] 2. Joy and Thankfulness ; The overflowing of the heart with praise and rejoicing is from this, because God is our God; Thus David is like a Fountain often running over, because God forgave his iniquities, and was his God; The people of God walk in darkness because they are not clear in this, their evidences are not strong here.
[ 3] 3. Contentation and a blessed composure of spirit : For in that God is theirs they have all can be desired, Fear not Abraham I am thy exceeding great reward; The Lord is my Shepherd I shall want nothing, Psal. 23.1, I wonder not now that Paul can say he knoweth how to abound and how to want, Phil. 4. 12. yea, that he hath all things 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 because he hath God who hath all things; Oh say not I want a drop when thou hast the Ocean.
Use To admire the blessed estate of the Godly; No wonder if Balaam wish that he might die the death of the Righteous, and that his latter end might be like his: See the Large Inventory of 2 very Godly man's Treasure, 1 Cor, 1. All things are yours, and why is it so? Because Christ is ours and God is ours: A wretched man thinks it a great matter to say, This Estate and that is mine, when yet none can say as the devil of all the Glory of the World, All is mine, yet he is happy that hath the Lord for his Portion.
Use 2. Take heed of opposing and malicious vexing of those that are godly, it redounds to God's dishonor; It's not they but God that is despised.
SERMON XLVIII. The Deity of Jesus Christ cleared and defended against the Socinians.
JOH. 17.10.
THese words are an Argument to prove that though the Apostles, and in them all believers were the Fathers, yet the Son was not excluded from a propriety in them; Therefore to put more force in the Argument he presseth the sameness or Identity of Nature, and ageeement with one another, as if he should have said, Let not any prayer put up in their behalf be rejected, for they are fit Subjects both for me to pray for and thou to hear, we both have an Interest in them; We must deny our own if we deny them, This is the sense of the words, and in them we may observe,
- 1. The argumentative particle.
- 2. The argument itself.
The argumentative particle in'the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which is not conjunctive but ratiocinative, It's not so well translated and as for, so 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is often used for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the Scripture, Even as the Hebrew is sometimes conjunctive and sometime a Note of Inference, as Give help from trouble and Vain is the help of man, Psa. 60.11. that is for; We have sinned and thou art angry, i. e. for that, &c. So here, They are thine, for all mine is thine :
In the next place we have the argument itself, and that is from the homoousiall consideration of the Father and the Son, All mine are thine, and thine are mine, which words are not spoken quoad fruitionem only, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , but quoad essentiam, all that Wisdom, power, Majesty thou hast, I have, we have all in common: Therefore this place is very strong against the blasphemous Socinians, and used by the Ancients against the Arians ; The Socinians have nothing to evade but only that our Savior doth not speak of the Fathers Essence but of his dominion and propriety; The Apostles were the Fathers by propriety, and so they were Christ's also; But this will not stand, for although we must grant that before; The Apostles were said to be the Fathers yet he proveth this by an Argument from the general to the particular; No wonder they are thine and mine, for all mine are thine, Note the Universality, all mine are thine, all thine are mine, If all then the Essence, Nature and Majesty of God, otherwise it was not all, and if Christ were a mere Creature he could not say thus, for although the former part every creature may say, all mine are thine, in respect of dominion and efficiency, because there is no good, natural, moral, or divine but it's the Lord's, and although in some sense a godly man may by the Covenant of grace say to God, all thine are mine because now made his God, in which sense the Apostle said, all things are yours, 1 Cor. 1. and I have all things, Phil. 4. yet in regard of God's essential Attributes, his Omnisciency, Omnipotency, &c. None but the Son and the holy Ghost who are God can truly say so; Now that our Savior meaneth all in this sense appeareth by a parallel place, Joh 16 15. all things that the Father hath are mine ; Mark the aggravation, he doth not say some things but all things, then that the Father hath in the present tense; Now God hath nothing but essentially, he hath wisdom, he hath life, but he hath it essentially not as creatures who have it accidentally ; Therefore notable is that expression Joh. 5.26. As the Father hath life in himself so hath he given the Son to have life in himself ; No creature hath life in that sense.
3. He saith, All things are mine, he doth not say shall be mine, when I am glorified, when ascended into Heaven, but even in that very state of humiliation.
Lastly, He saith, All that the Father hath, In calling him a Father he acknowledgeth a personal distinction, which cuts off the Sophistry of the Socinians; If Christ hath all things the Father hath, then he is the Father : No, the very compellation supposeth a relative distinction, though there be an essential Unity :
Thus you see the Text vindicated, and it's our duty diligently to vindicate those Texts that assert Christ's Deity so much oppugned, for if Tertullian said, Omnis sermo adaptandus est contra Idololatriam, much more against this blasphemous heresy.
Obs. That our Lord Christ hath all things the Father hath ; Even the things he prayeth for, viz. glory, he saith He had it with the Father before the world began.
Let us unfold this Doctrine for it will be of great use both doctrinally and practically.
And 1. The Lord Christ hath the same Name and Titles that God the Father hath, Even that Name which they call the incommunicable Name Jehovah, and that is never given directly to any creature, yet that is attributed to Christ, Heb. 1.10. Thou O Jehovah hast founded the Heavens and the Earth ; That spoken by the Psalmist the Apostle doth expressly apply to Christ himself, and although some observe that in the New commonly the Father is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and the Son 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , as 1 Cor. 8. We have one God the Father of all, and we have one Lord, yet Christ is often called God. Rom. 9.11. He is called God blessed for evermore ; And 2 John This is the true God. And 1 Tim. 3.26. God manifested in the flesh, So that he is called God as well as Lord; Now then this argueth Christ's Deity, that he hath the same Titles with God; Magistrates indeed are called gods, and Moses is said to be a God to Pharaoh, but not absolutely as Christ is, but respectively for such an end and purpose, viz. to direct and govern: For the Name of God is God, as Rabbins say, God is his Name and his Name is God ; If it be a capital crime amongst men, to give the Titles of the Supreme power to those that have it not, or to deny it to those to whom it belong • ; Take heed then thou beest not found in the number of those that thinkest it robbery what Christ himself did not to make him equal with God.
2. He hath the nature and essence of God the Father, so that he is equal with him; Mark that reason John. 16.15. He shall receive of mine and show you all things ; For all the Father hath is mine; The holy Ghost was to receive of his wisdom and power, because all the Father had was his, which as it necessarily proveth the holy Spirit to be God, that doth search the deep things of God, so also Christ to be of the same divine nature, and thus the Jews understood him when they charged him with blasphemy, that he being man should make himself God or equal to God.
3. He hath all the essential properties of God, he is immortal, eternal, infinite, omniscient, omnipotent ; For he knew what was in men's hearts and needed none should tell him, 1 Joh. 2. ult. Eternal, for he created all things, and in the beginning was with God, 1 John. 1. called therefore Alpha and Omega ; Omnipotent in that the Creation of all things out of nothing is attributed to him, and the wonderful Miracles he wrought not as the Apostles in a Petitionary manner but mandatory and authoritatively in his own Name, do fully evince this, so that there is no glorious attribute of God but the Lord Christ hath the same, and that not in kind but in number: The very same numerical wisdom and holiness.
4. Christ doth all the works the Father doth; I and my Father work hitherto, Joh. 5.17. The Son doth nothing but what he seeth the Father doth, Joh. 5.19. Doth the Father create? so doth Christ? Doth the Father conserve and govern all things? so doth Christ bear up all things by the power of his word, Heb. 1. Did the Father send the Prophets in the Old Testament? so (which i • greatly to be considered) did Christ, 1 Pet. 1.11. The Spirit of Christ is said to be in the Prophets which yet were long before Christ was born of the Virgin; Therefore Christ had a subsistency as God before and did work as God; Therefore the Israelites 1 Cor. 10. are said to tempt Christ in the Wilderness, And Moses preferred the reproaches of Christ before Egypt's Treasures, Heb. 11. so also doth the Father regenerate, give the holy Spirit, sanctify our natures, all these things Christ also doth.
5. The Son and the Father have the same will and the same purposes ; This all the Socinians would have, But the sameness of will and mind floweth from the Identity of the nature; Indeed when he prayeth for his Disciples in this Chapter, that they may be one as thou and I are one; It's not a sicut of equality but similitude, not as if they were to be one essentially, as the Father and the Son is, but that intimate Union of the Father and Son, is made the Rule, as when it's said, Be you perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, Mat. 5. ult. that cannot be understood of an equality; The Rule hath always more perfection in it then the thing regulated by it: Hence it is that Christ is called the express character of the Father, Heb. 1. What Christ wills, what he purposeth we may conclude the Father doth so also, so that this consideration may abundantly take away that doubt which may arise, That although Christ be thus ready to work out our redemption, yet will the Father accept of it, he is not obliged to take a Surety in our room, he will see the Law satisfied in our own persons, but Christ removeth this when he saith, Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life for my Sheep, Joh. 10. The Father then and the Son have the same gracious will, have the same purposes of mercy, and whom Christ doth invite the Father inviteth, whom Ch • ist calls the Father calls: So that in and by Christ we may see the gracious and glorious thoughts of mercy God the Father had from all Eternity to his people; Indeed as he was man though his human will was not contrary, yet we see he speaks conditionally, If it be possible let this Cup pass away, yet not my will but thy will be done, Matth. 26 39. Therefore his human will if absolutely considered, did desire freedom from death, but if particularly considered in these circumstances, then he emptied that particular stream of his human nature in the Ocean of the divine.
6. The Son and the Father have the same propriety in all the godly ; Those that belong to the Father belong also to the Son, This was the occasion of this general Speech in the Text; The Apostles are thine, and all thine are mine ; So that the Father doth not abdicate his right by the donation of them to Christ; Hence Joh. 20.17. I go to my Father and your Father, by way of comfort putting us into some co-partnership with his propriety; Those then that are Christ's Sheep they have also God's mark upon them, They do belong to the Father by grace, and to the Son by merit and purchase, so that the Children of God are to proceed by degrees, to evidence their propriety in Christ, and then in the Father; For saith Christ, If ye had known me ye would have known my Father, Joh. 8.16.
Lastly, They have the same power and strength, and that in reference to the defense and preservation of his people, Joh. 10. None can pull them out of my Fathers hand, then he addeth, I and my Father are one, one as in nature so in that omnipotent power to govern and preserve his Children to everlasting happiness, so that this doctrine is not merely speculative but tends to much practical edification.
In the next place consider how all that Christ hath is the Fathers, and so reciprocally,
1. By eternal generation, The Socinians would grant the Son hath many transcendent prerogatives, but not by eternal generation, but by a temporal donation ; This cannot be so, because the Psalmist long before Christ was born said, This is my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Psa. 2.7. And his out-goings are said to be of old, Mic. 5.1. from the days of Eternity: So that Christ hath these things of the Father by nature, even as the Sun beams had the light of the Sun, as soon as ever there was a Sun though there be a great dissimilitude in this comparison; The Son then is not of the Father as the world was by a voluntary Creation but by a natural generation.
2. If we consider Christ as God and man, yet even then by virtue of the hypostatical Union all that the Father hath, is his; The infinite Majesty of God, Christ nor only as God but as God-man hath, but how? not as if the properties of the divine nature were communicated to that, as the Lutherans hold, saying, the human nature of Christ is infinite, omnipresent, that is absurd, for how can it be eternal when it's plain the human nature had a being in a time, but only by virtue of the personal union, there is a communication of properties, not to the Natures but to the Person, Insomuch that the Apostle calls it the blood of God, Act. 25. How can that be but by virtue of that personal Union, the divine nature hath no blood, neither can it suffer, and thus Christ said, The Son of man which i • in heaven, Joh. 3. that could not be because of his human nature but by the personal Union, so that although the Text doth principally intend Christ's communion with the Father as God in the identity of his nature, yet this may in some sense be extended to Christ both God and man.
The Use of this Doctrine is very fruitful, 1. By doctrinal Information of the deity of Christ, that he is truly God, having all things God the Father hath, therefore retain by a strong Faith this Article of Religion, and the rather because so many have brought in damnable assertions about this Point; Socinus doth impudently say, that this doctrine of Christ's Deity is so absurd, that the Christian world will one day be so far informed as to be ashamed to believe such a thing, yea, to hear such a thing, and that the word Trinity may be in time as much abhorred as Transubstantiation and the Mass ; Fly from such persons as those that have a spiritual plague; This hath been so often cleared by the Church in all ages, that now there needs no more disputation in it, we must not always be proving but we must at last hold fast that which is good ; Remember your Baptism it was In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the holy Ghost; These you are with the same faith to acknowledge, to these you are equally consecrated.
Use 2. Is all that the Father hath Christ's? then how happy are the people of God who are admitted into some co-partnership with all this blessedness ; For although though none but Christ (as you heard) can say, All mine are thine essentially, yet every godly man being made a co • heir with Christ, he may by fruition and enjoyment say so, Rom 8. Oh the infinite treasure of that expression, a Son and co-heir with Christ ; Whatsoever Christ is heir to, we are also co-heirs with him, only here is the difference, Quod Christus natura, nos gratia, what Christ is by nature that we are by grace; Why then are the people of God so often dejected and cast down? They consider not how rich, how honored, how abounding they are; All that the Father hath, all that Christ hath is theirs for their good and advantage, and this deed of gift God made when he entered into Covenant with them to be their God, and they to be his people; By this means Paul can triumph and say, I have all things, I can do all things, Phil. 4. The people of God are never established and confirmed till they be anchored here; They are tossed up and down as so many waves like the wicked men of the world who live by sense, and have no bottom or rock to stand upon; For this end it is that God either takes away earthly comforts or casteth in many roots of gall and wormwood in every condition, That you may know your treasure is in God and Christ not in these earthly contents.
Use 3. Is Christ thus partaker essentially of all that God hath, then take we heed how we refuse him speaking, for God is not only with him but in him, as God said concerning the Angel that led the people of Israel which was Christ, that they should take heed how they did provoke him, for his Name was in him, Exo. 23.21.
4. How complete and full a Mediator we have ; We need not fear his insufficiency, for all that the Father hath he hath; He is an infinite God as well as a finite man; Oh the unanswerable arguments that the godly may fetch hence; O Lord though in thy sight no flesh can be justified, yet Christ was; Though I am imperfect Christ is not.
Lasty, Here is a dreadful doom to wicked men, they are excluded from this communion, what the devil hath they have or shall have.
SERMON XLIX. Of man's Glorifying of Christ, And how many ways that is done.
JOH. 17.10.
THis is a new Argument propounded by our Savior in the behalf of his Disciples; Formerly when he prayed for himself he made this an Argument, that he had glorified the Father ; Now when he prayeth for his Disciples, he urgeth, that they had glorified him : So that we see it's very acceptable to God the Father that Christ should be glorified; He that is jealous of his glory and will not give it to another, that struck Herod dead, and made him to be eaten with the vilest creatures, because the people cried, The voice of God and not of man, yet to his Son is willing that all honor and glory should be given as he himself also had immediately glorified him from heaven.
In the Argument we may consider,
- 1. The Person glorified.
- 2. The action itself, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 .
- 3. The Subject in whom and by whom he is glorified.
The Person is Christ; Having before asserted a community in essence and all things with the Father, he now assumeth also a propriety in the glory his Father is to have; Chief and ultimate glory belongs only to God: Let not him that glorieth, 1 Cor. 1. glory in his riches, in his honors, but that he knoweth God; The glory of God is the utmost end of man, and we may no more attribute it to a creature then divine worship; So that the Deity of Christ is here also implied.
2. The other is the action to glorify ; The word is in the preterperfect tense (as Austin thinks) for the future, according to the custom of the Hebrews, for the Apostles had glorified Christ but little, comparatively to what they would do after Christ's ascension, when such heavenly gifts were bestowed upon them, but we may keep the proper signification, for the Apostles in that they left all, believing in him as the promised Messias, as also preaching and working Miracles in his Name did in a great measure glorify Christ; Now when Christ is said to be glorified by his Disciples, that is to be understood declaratively only, not really for Christ being God, no real glory could be added to him, only there might be an outward acknowledgement and manifestation of it.
Lastly, There is the Subject, for them, Some of the Ancients refer 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . to the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 before in the Text, to things and not to persons; all things are mine, and I am glorified in those things, but it's more coherent with the words to refer it to the Apostles of whom he had spoken before, They are thine, as also because they are the Subject for whom he is praying, and this is a new argument in their behalf 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that may imply two things.
1. That they were the Subjects in which Christ was exalted.
And then 2. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as often the Hebrew Preposition Beth, and so Christ was glorified by them, because through their preaching many were converted to acknowledge and believe in Christ as the Messias, and so they glorified him.
Obs. That as the people of God do make it their work to glorify Christ, so this also is very well-pleasing to God the Father ; Christ useth it as an argument to the Father why he should grant his prayer for his Disciples, because they glorified him, so that two Propositions are in the doctrine.
- 1. The people of God make it their utmost end to glorify God.
- 2. That this is very acceptable and well-pleasing to God.
For the first, Let us consider how many ways the people of God do glorify Christ, and then why it's their duty:
For the first, Christ is glorified in these particulars,
First, When by Faith they do receive and own him to be the promised Messias ; This our Savior you heard did again and again commend them for, they did believe him to be the Messias sent of the Father, and so in other places they acknowledged this, so that the very acknowledging of him to be the Christ so often spoken of by the Prophets, and looking for no other, was in an high manner giving glory to him, as on the contrary; Those Pharisees and unbelieving Jews who rejected him, saying, he was an Impostor and a deceiver; These did in an high manner dishonor him, making him a liar, and therefore charging him for communion with the devil, as if by him he did all his miracles; It is therefore a glorifying of Christ when he is acknowledged and believed to be the promised Messias, and that to him only belongs the characters of such an one.
But 2. This historical bare acknowledgement is not enough unless there be a fiducial application of him, and an holy confident relying on him as the Mediator between God and man ; To say as Thomas did, My God, My Lord, Joh. 20.28. and Paul Gal 2. who loved me and gave himself for me ; This is that believing on him (a phrase peculiar to the Scripture) that brings Salvation; It's one thing believe that there is a Christ who is a Mediator, and another in him as that person by whom we expect to have Salvation; Austin formerly made a distinction between Credere Deo, Deum, and in Deum, but the Learned Critics observe that the Scripture makes no such difference in the phrase, only we may for distinction sake use those expressions for those spoken of Joh. 2. to whom yet Christ would not communicate himself are said, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ,, Well, though the words and phrases may be promiscuous, yet the matter extremely differs, for many do speculatively believe that Christ is the Mediator, who yet practically do not out of the sense and burden of sin lay hold on Christ; Whereas this is indeed to glorify Christ, when we renounce all our own righteousness, when we feel our sins a greater weight then ever we can bear, when we cry out as they did in the Ship, Master, we perish ; The immediate danger they were in, made them cry out three times, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 we perish, we perish; we perish ; Thus that soul doth unfeignedly glorify Christ that crieth out from the overwhelming nature of sin, I am damning, I am damning; This is to glorify Christ when we see neither the Righteousness of the Law, or of Men, or Angels, can interpose between God and us, but Christ's Righteousness only; Therefore in Popery grace is obscured, the Righteousness of Saints, and the merits of their own works eclipse Christ; Hence they are like the Moon which though it receiveth all light from the Sun, yet is the only thing that obscures and ecclipseth it by its Interposition.
3. To glorify Christ is not thus only to acknowledge him, and to rest on him, for these are only internal acts of the soul, and so a spiritual inward glory known by God only, but it's greatly seen in the outward confession and profession of him, and that to the greatest reproach and danger which can be in the world, Rom. 10. With the heart man believeth, but with the tongue profession is made to Salvation ; He that will be saved must in the greatest danger and most scornful reproaches own Christ and his way; Thus our Savior Luk 12.8. Whosoever shall not confess me before a crooked generation, of him my Father and I will be ashamed ; Certainly in this particular the Disciples did highly honor Christ, for we know Christ himself was both by birth and life in a most contemptible manner; There was no comeliness or desireableness in him, and then at last was crucified in a most ignominious manner; Now for the Apostles to look on him as the Messias, to have such high and endeared thoughts of him, when all the world held Christ wretched and accursed, and would not upon any terms be of his followers, this was greatly to honor him; Therefore our Savior said, Blessed is he that is not offended at me, Mat. 11.6, It was the greatest wonder in the world not to stumble at Christ; We see the wise men; the great men that lived then, they were all offended at his meanness, Is not this the Carpenters Son? Mar. 4. Oh how hard would it have been for us to have received him as the Messias, if we had lived in those days, for those that followed Christ they were but a handful comparatively, and they were of the more despicable sort, and they were accounted illiterate and mad simple people that adhered to him.
4. They glorify Christ who receive him as a Lord and King, to whose Laws they willingly submit themselves ; For the self-love of a man may make him glad of Christ as a Savior, but then to resign up themselves in an obediential manner to all the commands of Christ, in this they draw back: Christ is not to be considered only as a propitiation for our sins, but also as a King who doth govern his people by holy and spiritual laws, and hence we may read that he interpreted the Law in a more spiritual and strict way Mat. 5. then the Pharisaical Doctors had done, and laid the axe to the very root of all corruption within us, he forbids heart-lusts, heart-passions, these Embers in the fire though they never flame out; he calls upon all to deny themselves, to take up their cross, and to follow him ; To love him more then Father or mother ; If therefore we would honor Christ, it's our duty to forsake all those rebellions we are guilty of, To lay down our opposition and enmity against his commands, to take his yoke upon us, and to think it light and easy ; What an honor was it to Christ to have men leave all their outward subsistence and earthly comforts to follow him? Did they not hereby declare that they prized the service of Christ more then all the world, and that they accounted more of his commands then the greatest Monarchs in the world; So that all who walk disorderly and contrary to Christ's command, they say with those in the Parable, Christ shall not reign over us ; Though he will reign over them, maugre all their disobedience, if he do not govern them with the Scepter of grace, he will break them with a rod of Iron.
5. Those that suffer and endure all persecutions willingly for his Name and Truth ; They do in an high degree glorify Christ; In a special manner did Christ take notice of his Disciples, because they had accompanied him in his Temptations, and the Apostle Peter doth at large show how God is glorified when men suffer not for ill doing, but as Christians; That as they glorify Christ, so Christ makes a spirit of glory to rest upon them, 1 Pet. 4.14. Those marks Paul did bear on his body, They were so many Trophies; Even as Soldiers count wounds a mark of honor, they have received in fight for their commander; When the Disciples went away rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer anything for Christ's sake ; This did greatly redound to Christ's glory; Oh then let not the people of God be afraid or shrink at reproaches, dishonors, and troubles for Christ's sake, for wherein can they glorify him more? Or can the world say upon better grounds, Behold how they loved Christ and his Truth, better then their estates or their lives; Those millions of Martyrs that have died for Christ's sake, brought an astonishing even to the very heathens; No Emperor or Monarch, No Master or Teacher ever had such a multitude of Disciples readily sacrificing their lives, so that we mistake if we think the glory of Christ hath been in such an outward pomp as earthly Kings have been; No, by sufferings, by revilings, by the most cruel deaths that malicious men could invent, they made the Name of Christ glorious through the whole world; Even as Christ called his own death a glorifying both of himself and his Father, so did the miseries and calamities of his Children redound greatly to his honor, for greater love and esteem they could not show then by laying down their lives for him.
6. Those honor Christ and glorify him who walk in an holy and worthy manner to that calling whereby Christ hath called them, 2 Thes. 1.12. That the Name of Christ may be glorified in them? And how was that? by walking worthy of their calling ; Even as on the other side when men live profanely and wickedly they reproach Christ, and make the Gentiles to blaspheme the Christian way; Oh that this were sadly thought upon by most; Is not every Town, every Family full of cursing, swearing, drunken and unclean persons? Now these are a Reproach to Christ, they make the Christian Religion a scorn, and the name of it even to stink; Even as Salvian a zealous Writer against the profane lives of Christians, said, The heathens by way of scorn might say, Christiani sancte vixissent, si Christus sancta docuisset ; They thought the reason why Christians had no more sober, chaste, and godly lives, was because Christ was not an holy Law-giver, he did not give them holy precepts; The looseness and profaneness of a Servant is a disgrace to his Master, and what dishonor must this be that those who call upon Christ's Name, yet should live according to the devils temptations, that they should say they are for Christ, and their lives for Satan.
7. They honor and glorify Christ who live cheerfully and comfortably in the midst of all their troubles and exercises ; For seeing that Christ by his Death hath purchased justification for us, this ought to cause great peace and joy in our hearts, as Paul said; Blessed be God who causeth us to triumph through Jesus Christ ; And why so? because as afflictions so Consolations by Christ abound much more, 2 Cor. 1.3. Oh then let the people of God who are apt to be dejected and cast down, to walk in a discouraged manner, to have their hearts pierced through with many thorny cares, Remember what Christ hath done for them, and how acceptable it is to him that we should walk comfortably and thankfully; Is it not a dishonor to the Master for the servant to be dejected and grieved? Doth it not proclaim to others that they account his service an hard uncomfortable condition? Thus when men leave their former wicked courses, and give up their names to Christ, but after that are troubled, grieved, and have no comfort or encouragement; These reproach the Lord Christ as if the world could give better comforts then Christ, as if we had done for the worse by forsaking the devils service, and resigning ourselves up to the Lord's; Oh then consider that as in gross profaneness and unrighteous ways there is a scandal to Religion, so in all discouraged and uncomfortable dejections, refusing to be comforted, thou art a dishonor unto the Lord Christ, as if he could not give manna to us in the wilderness of this world; Thus you see how many ways Christ may be glorified.
Now let us consider why it's our duty thus to glorify Christ.
First, Because God's purpose from Eternity was to put infinite glory on Christ ; God suffered Adam to fall, and in him all mankind to be lost, that so the glory of Christ sent into the world for an atonement and a Mediator might breed amazement to all, yea, some Divines have said, that the first Decree which God made was to glorify Christ, and that therefore he had been incarnated, though man had not fallen; Therefore say they all our Predestination, Justification, and Salvation, it's not so much for us as in order to Christ; Howsoever that there is a Church, a people of God, that they shall have such privileges of glory, the end of all is that hereby Christ should be honored, Joh 5.23. Christ was sent into the world that he who honoreth the Father should also honor the Son.
2. The end of God's Spirit in appointing a ministry, and giving gifts to them, as also accompanying of them with his spiritual presence is to glorify Christ ; We are appointed for the work of the Ministry, for to glorify Christ, and all your hearing ought to be for that end, Joh. 16.15. He shall take of mine and glorify me, and John. 14. he shall convince the world of sin and righteousness in reference to Christ; We see here what is the utmost end in preaching and hearing even that Christ may be glorified; Insomuch that there is no greater pest to the soul of man then for the Ministers thereof to be given up to vain glory, to seek their own glory from men, for hereby Christ will not be exalted; Oh it's far better for them to have it said Christ is glorified in our Ministry, then that men give glory to us.
Lastly, Christ will in time glorify his, therefore they may well glorify Christ; For what is our drop to his Ocean? What is our glow-worm to his Sun? It's well he will accept of it, we are of such polluted lips.
Use of Instruction to live both doctrinally and really to the honor and glory of Christ; doctrinally, when we believe all such opinions as magnify Christ, the contrary whereunto Popery doth abound in; This made the worthy Reformers first think of departing from that Church, Christ was robbed of his glory, he had not that honor which did belong to him; And then really by an heavenly, holy, and unspotted conversation; Oh the patience and mercy of Christ, that he should suffer the earth to bear so many profane wretches that are a reproach to him and all Christianity; Did the Disciples call for fire because the Samaritans would not receive Christ? how would their zeal have kindled to see so many crucify the Lord Christ again? You glorify the devil, and exalt the ways of sin, but in time you will feel how dear this will cost you.
SERMON L. Of Christ's tender care of all his People in the greatest of their dangers and afflictions.
JOH. 17.11.
THis Eleventh Verse begins a new and special Reason why Christ is to be heard in his Prayer for his Disciples; Whereas the former Arguments some of them were taken from the person of the Father, some from the person of the Apostles themselves, some from the Person of Christ.
In this Verse the Person of the Apostles and Christ are conjoined together, Now the efficacy and force of the Argument lieth,
- 1. From the Condition of Christ.
- 2. From the Condition of the Apostles.
The present condition of Christ is described thus, I am no more in the world.
2. Of the Apostles, But these are in the world.
Let us explain the words that relate to Christ's condition, and then see the pith of the Argument.
For the first,
Christ may be said to be in the world two ways,
Either 1. Invisibly in respect of his divine nature and operations; Thus Christ cannot go out of the world no more then God, who is everywhere, and in this sense he told his Disciples, he would be with them to the end of the world, Mat. 26.
Or 2. Visibly and corporally in respect of his human nature, and thus he was to be with them no more, so that this is a strong place against, Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation, Though they would gladly evade the dint of it.
But why doth Christ say I am no more in the world in the present tense, seeing while and when he said it, he was in the world?
I answer. This Apostle (as is observed by the Learned) of all doth most abound with Hebraisms, and with them it's ordinary to use a participle of the present tense for the future, as might be shown; And besides our Savior was very shortly to go out of the world by his sufferings; and it's ordinary with all to speak of a thing as done which is immediately to be done, as Heb. 11. Abraham is said by faith to offer up his Son Isaac, when yet he did not offer him up, but was prepared for to do it immediately.
Lastly, Observe the difference between being in the world and of the world ; When our Savior saith, I am no more in the world, it supposeth he had been in it, but now he never was of the world, as he saith, v. 16. For to be of the world is to partake of the wickedness and ungodliness which reigneth there, The whole world lieth in wickedness ; And therefore Christ could not be of the world in this sense; For the Apostles after their call, neither any converted persons are thus of the world, though they be in it locally.
The words thus explained, Consider the efficacy of Christ's argument, I pray for these, and commend them to thy care and protection, because I am going out of the world; I shall not be corporally present with them, I was a comfort to them, and preserver of them, but now I commend them to thy hands; Thus we see the admirable care and love Christ shown to his Disciples, he seems to be more mindful of them then his own self; All his thoughts about his own sufferings did not so affect him, but that still he could remember his own Disciples, that it may go well with them.
Obs. That the greater the dangers are Christ's people are kept in, the greater is Christ's care and love to them ; It was likely to be worse with the Disciples then ever, therefore it's said, their hearts were troubled, Joh. 14. when he spake of leaving of them, for what can the Chickens do when the hen is killed; What can the Sheep do when the Shepherd is smitten; Now because they were fallen into such a condition our Savior doth in amore special manner commend their Estate to God, we do not read that formerly he did in such a peculiar manner give them up to God, because their danger and temptations were not so great as were likely to be; This is a Truth worthy of all acceptation by the godly; They are dismayed when they see their afflictions rise higher, never considering that the love and care that Christ hath to them doth also increase, John. 13.1. when Christ saw the time of his departure was come, having loved his own, he loved them to the end, more then ever he discovered his love, partly by condescending to wash their feet, and partly by instituting the Sacrament as a remembrance of his death for them; So that as they say of all motions, they are swiftest towards the end; Thus Christ loving his Disciples from his heart, upon pure grounds, he loved them most of all at his latter end, as the clock runs fastest at the last stroke; But it's good to open this Box of Ointment that the sweet smell thereof may comfort and refresh us.
And first, Christ never calls his people to any danger and temptations but as he removeth some mercies from them, so he makes a supply otherwise ; If they are in greater straits and difficulties then before, So if they do observe they shall find some mercies they had not before; Christ will not let thee be a loser by anything he doth to thee; Neither will he be in thy debt, if he takes away any mercy, he will recompense it otherwise; So that still his love is as great if not greater; See this notably Joh. 14.1, 2, 3. Let not your hearts be troubled, viz. at the sad things I have told you of my departure, and the rage of the world, For I go away to prepare a mansion place for you; It's expedient I should go away, you shall not be the worse for it; Therefore v. 18. I will not leave you comfortless or Orphans, I will send the Spirit of God to comfort you and abide with you; Thus you see, though Christ removed his corporal presence from them, yet he gave them a spiritual presence; If then the Spirit of God can be a Comforter to supply the room of Christ's corporal presence, how much more of a husband or father, If God take any of these away, pray that he would send his Spirit the Comforter, and if that can be better then Christ's bodily presence, much more then than ten thousand Fathers or Husbands; Oh then let not the Children of God deject themselves, either with the condition they are in, or they fear may be in; If such and such things fall out, what would become of me? Oh remember it's Christ's way when he takes away one mercy to make it up otherwise again.
Secondly, Christ's love and care appeareth in that if he call to greater dangers and afflictions, he will then give more strength then ever to bear them, and more comfort then ever even to rejoice in them : If then thy afflictions are more then ever what art thou the worse? If thy strength be greater then ever; God will not lay a Giants burden upon a childes back; But if he prepare a Giants burden for thee, he will enable thee with a Giants strength; Thus these Apostles because they were to encounter with the rage and madness of the whole world; Therefore did the Spirit of God come in an extraordinary manner upon them; They were commanded to stay at Jerusalem till they were endowed with power from above, Luk. 24.49. Thus before also, when our Savior told them, They should be hated before Kings and Governors for his Names sake, he addeth, It shall be given them in that day to know what to speak, in that day ; Oh then when thy dejected heart saith, What shall I do if the Lord bring this and that sad trouble upon me! If this or that temptation come upon me, it will grind me to powder; Oh remember it shall be given thee in that day : If with Job he deprive thee of thy Estate, and Goods, and Children at once, it shall be given thee in that day to bear it; Do not then measure or compare a great affliction with that little strength thou hast at present; No, if God make the waters to increase, he will provide an Ark for thee, the Apostles could not work miracles when they would, as they could not cast out some kind of devils, but when they were called to it, and their miraculous faith was increated then they could do it; Thus it is here, If God should give thee no more faith, no more patience, no more heavenly-mindedness then thou hast at the present; Thou wert never able to bear such mountains and loads of trouble that happily God may bring on thee, but God proportions thy strength to • hy afflictions, as our Savior said, Mat. 9.17. New Wine is not put into old bottles, They must not fast while the Bridegroom was with them, but the time was coming when they should fast ; As God increaseth their strength so he doth also their comfort, he gives them more joy and consolation then they ever had, as the Disciples had the Comforter promised them after his departure, and accordingly we read that under all the persecutions and miseries they endured, they were filled with joy, and they went away rejoicing, so true is that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 1.4. Who comforteth us in all our Tribulations, that as our sufferings abound so our consolations also abound ; This we see abundantly fulfilled in all the holy Martyrs and Confessors, was not their dungeon a Paradise to them? Were not live Coals beds of Roses? Did they not rejoice and sing Psalms? Now how came all this about? The more their miseries were, the more were God's mercies; Christ that gave them but drops before, doth now bid them drink the whole cup of praise and Thanks-giving; Now they are taken up to the Mount of Transfiguration, They have not only clusters but the Vine itself; Consolations abound now, when never it may be before.
Thirdly, The Lord Christ his care is seen even in the dangers and afflictions themselves, and that divers ways.
1. In not suffering them to be but when there is a necessity, you are afflicted if need be, 1 Pet. 1.6. That word is full of consolation, The •• no affliction, no trial, but thou didst need it, considering thy corruption • hy dullness, thy earthliness, there was a necessity to have some affliction fall upon thee, to humble thee, and to make thee more enlivened; Hence afflictions are compared to the cutting off the luxurious branches of the Vine, Joh. 15. which is necessary; Frosts and cold have their necessity, and both man's body and the ground needs that as well as the Summer; This made David say, Out of very Faithfulness thou hast afflicted me, Psa. 119.75. And hence afflictions are attributed to God's Love, Whom he loveth he chasteneth, Rev. 3. and all because the people of God could not be so fruitful and active if they were not thus chastened, So then here is Christ's care, there shall not be any trouble but when necessary.
2. As he wisely ordereth them to be, so his great care and love is seen in the time and season when they are inflicted ; Afflictions will not in every season do good, no more then the cutting down of trees, or pruning of them is at any time to be done: The Patient may die by the unseasonable letting of blood; Therefore Christ showeth his great care and love to take the opportune season, to afflict and to exercise thee; As God would not have mercy upon Epaphroditus presently, but he lets him lie in danger, it being thereby better both for him, and Paul was thereby much afflicted; Paul had the buffetings of Satan which did greatly humble him, but when was the time; after his Revelations; And therefore that then it might not puff him above measure, It was that he had those Thorns in his side; so that Christ doth not only regard the necessity but the fit time and season of all thy Troubles: Even as Christ himself came in the fullness of time, so do all his chastisements, if they should come sooner or later, they would not do that good; Paul prayeth thrice, yet could not remove those strong Temptations, 1 Co. 12.
3. His love and care is seen in the nature and kind of the affliction and trouble : There are calamities of all sorts; Now as it's not all kind of Physic that is for every disease, so neither all kind of calamities that are fit for every sin; Hezekiah gloried proudly in the Treasures he had, and therefore God caused an Enemy to come and spoil him of them, he might see by the afflictions what his sin was, David was too inordinately affected to Absalom and Adonijah, and they became rebels to him and sore afflictions; Oh it's a great matter to observe the wisdom and goodness of God in ordering that kind of affliction rather for thee then another, Thou wast not thankful to God for thy health, or serviceable to him, therefore he afflicts thee with sickness: The people of Israel were weary of God's Service, therefore God delivered them up to evil Lord's and Masters, that they should know what another service meant; One Godly man lieth under one affliction and another under another: Now if one had that which another hath he could never bear it, it would be more then death to him, so that the wisdom and love of Christ is to be admired in all, say, this very kind of affliction, and at this time comes from the love and care of Christ.
4. As the kind so the continuance God will not let it abide any longer then it doth his work, These horse-leeches shall suck no longer, then the corrupt blood lasteth; The devil shall throw some of you into prison ten days, Rev. 2.10. See there how God orders it first it's but some of them, and then into prison, there is the kind, for ten days there is the continuance, which made the Psalmist say, The rod of the wicked shall not always rest upon the back of the Righteous ; Psal. 125.3. It's true the people of God have many times thought their deliverance too long, Will the Lord cast off forever? Hath he forgotten to be gracious? Thus they expostulate and complain, but God at another time s •• • he would hasten it in due time, Isa. 60.22. and he calls it but a moment, ••• rein he had hid his face from them, Isa. 54.7. although it was seventy years; So that the flesh saith one thing and the Spirit of God another; Know then that thy exercise is for a continued or appointed time, God hath set bounds to these waters, and therefore be not discouraged under them.
Lastly, The care and love of Christ is seen in working out a way, and making an escape from th • m, when it's for their good and his glory; There hath no temptation befallen you but out of which he will make a way to escape, 1 Cor. 10 13. The Lord knoweth how to deliver those that are his : The Artificer knoweth when to take his Gold out of the Fire, The wise Physician knoweth when there is blood let out enough: Thus much more doth God know when thy afflictions have done the Errand he sent them about; The Wisdom of God also can find out a way to save thee out of them; For he that could find out a way to save thee from sin and hell, much rather can he find out a way to deliver thee from this or that temptation.
In the fourth general place, Christ's care and love is seen in sanctifying and fitting thy troubles that they shall be for thy spiritual benefit ; Whatsoever may be done to thy estate or life, yet nothing shall hurt the soul: Thus the Prophet, This is the fruit of Jacob's trouble to purge away his sin, Isaiah 27.9. and Rom. 8. All things work to the good of them whom God loveth : Christ that hath so loved thee would never let this or that come upon thee, did he not intend to turn it for thy spiritual good? This made David say, Before he was afflicted he went astray, Psal. 119. And when both these go together, Afflictions and Sanctification, David calls it a Blessedness, not a misery, Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, and teachest thy way, Psal. 94 12. If God teacheth thee by thy afflictions the bitterness of sin, the duty of Faith and weanedness of Spirit from the world; Oh it's a blessed sickness, a blessed loss, Thank God that ever he laid his hand upon thee, Though it seemed grievous to flesh, and thou wert apt to be impatient, yet nothing under Heaven was better for thee; Not that we are to pray for afflictions; It's disputed whether we may or no, but we may not, because they are an evil, and so no fit object of our desires, and in themselves they do no good unless sanctified, but if the Lord chastise us we are to submit, and therefore when Jeremiah prayeth, Jer 10 21. Correct me but not in thy wrath, It's a concession or submission: Lord, if thou wilt correct me, and it cannot be otherwise, then do it with much mercy and love; Do not then make thy afflictions an argument of God's withdrawing or leaving of thee, but rather of love to thee; Christ loves his Disciples dearly, yet not so as to keep them from dangers, he will let them be in the world, and put them to hardship, only he will then take the more care of them: But the godly heart doth make this ordinary Objection.
It's true in those troubles which are for Christ's cause, as the Apostles were, It is no wonder if Christ take such special care of his, if he account all the troubles and losses they have upon his score, if he say to them as Abiathar the Priest, I was the occasion of all the Priests blood, therefore stay with me, thou shalt be as I am, and I as thou art, but my troubles and afflictions are the fruit of my sin, It's not for Christ's Name but want of love to Christ, it is my dullness and lukewarmness that hath brought anger upon me: To this consider,
1. It cannot be denied but that there is a great difference between those afflictions that are exploratory, which are to draw out the graces of the godly, and to increase their glory which comforted one Martyr, who said, he thanked God, though he had sins, yet it was not for his sins but his duties they put him to death, and those which are castigatory for some sin committed, yet even such are not to cast away all comfort, because though there is not so much, yet there is great cause of joy even to such, if humbled and sensible of sin under God's hand, for
1. Though it be bitter because it's for sin, yet it's comfortable to feel thy sin, and to repent of it; Oh then though thou mournest because thy sin hath brought this on thee, yet rejoice because thou hast an heart to repent of it; The true penitent de peccato dolet & de dolore gaudet ; So that the brokenness and tenderness of heart is an evident testimony of thy ground to rejoice.
2. Consider thy voluntary accepting of thy afflictions and judging thyself for them, maketh all thy afflictions to be a kind of Martyrdom: It's required we should accept of the punishment of our sin, Levite. 26.41. And 1 Cor. 11. We are to judge ourselves, 2 Cor. 7. The Corinthians repenting had a holy revenge upon themselves; Now when we do thus kiss the Rod, and willingly accept of this affliction, It's a kind of Martyrdom, It is for God's cause, and out of love to him, that thou dost with patience endure it.
3. Thou hast the chiefest ground of comfort, which ever Christ's Sufferers have, though not that particular they have ; For the Martyrs did not rejoice in their Sufferings as matter of merit, and as that which was equal to Eternal Glory; No, They could not but find many Imperfections, even in those noble undertakings, And therefore desired pardon even for their very dying for Christ, that they had no such perfect faith and patience as they ought: It was therefore Christ and his Sufferings administered them all their comforts, and this thou mayest take though thy sins have caused thy afflictions.
Use of Instruction, what Treasures of comfort the Godly have, With what triumph and joy they might live even in the greatest afflictions, if believing this ; But oh our leanness, our leanness, whence come all those dejections, those outcries? I fear this and that may undo me, but because Faith doth not present Christ with his open arms ready to preserve them, well is believing called Eating of Christ's flesh, and Drinking his blood, Joh. 6. For as a man though he have never so much dainties, yet if he eat not, they do him no good, so it is here, Though Christ have never so much love and pity towards thee, yet if thou believe not this, it helpeth thee not.
Use 2. of woe to the wicked that are cast out of all his care, let the devil tempt them, let sin overcome them, let hell devour them, yet Christ hath not taken them into his special favor.
SERMON LI. Of the great Danger of God's Peoples being in the world, chiefly from its tempting and seducing to Sin.
JOH. 17.11.
OUR Savior's Argument (you heard) in the behalf of his Disciples was partly from the state and condition of Christ, who was now leaving of them, and partly from the Apostles who were still to continue in the world as sheep without a Shepherd, and that amongst Wolves: Therefore the danger they were in is made an Argument why Christ's Prayer should be heard for them.
This troublesome and dangerous estate of the Apostles is described in these words, But these are in the world,
Where Note,
- 1. The adversative particle.
- 2. The condition itself.
The adversative particle is expressed in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , for whereas the Learned observe, that that particle 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is used three ways in Scripture.
- 1. Which is most common as conjunctive.
- 2. As adversative.
- 3. As argumentative.
Here we see it used in all these respects in one Verse, And I am no more, &c. But these are in the world, for I go to the Father, so 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 should be translated here:
As for the Condition itself, To be in the world is no more then to have our abode here amongst men, who by nature are all set against God and his ways, and so daily conceiving and plotting mischief against the Kingdom of Christ; So that to say They were in the world was to say, They were in the midst of the Sea under the power of all winds and tempests, without any haven, wherein every moment they might expect utter destruction.
Obs. That the godly man's life in this world is full of spiritual danger and outward trouble ; For To be in the world, these two things are implied, To be in a place of wickedness, where are daily temptations to sin, and in a place of misery where are constant troubles and pressures, and indeed the former is the greatest evil, though we fear the latter more, Therefore our Savior prayeth v. 15. that the Father would keep them from the evil of the world ; They must be in the world, but let not the evil thereof infect them, it being no less a miracle to be kept from the sins of the world while we live in it, then for those three Worthies not to be burned while in the fiery Furnace; The Apostle John excellently describeth the foul contagion of the world, 1 John. 5.19. The whole world lieth in wickedness, the whole world, None are exempted till called out of it by Grace; All the human Grecian power, though so famous for wit and moral virtues is included herein, and then it lieth in wickedness, this denoteth the habitual custom of sin, as also the impotency even to help itself: It lieth in wickedness, there is also their contentedness and delight, as the Swine lieth in her mud; And then in wickedness 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a troublesome wickedness, that makes trouble and vexation to those that are not in the same excess of wickedness with them.
In the explaining of this concerning the danger of sin to a Godly man in this world, it will appear how difficult it is to them to pass by these Sirens, how hard it is to refuse every temptation that stands like Solomon's Whore tempting every passenger to come in; How many had escaped those flames of hell, and had been now partakers of the Robes of Glory, had not this world been a Delilah always enticing them; Not only the profane man but the professor who seemed to give up his Name to Christ, even the world hath undone him as will appear, For
First Consider the infecting and contagious sinfulness in the world : How hardly can we breathe and live, but we must suck in this pestilential air; As those that live in an infected Pesthouse, or such as abide in a noisome Hospital, they cannot but have the smell and the disease of the place, so to live in this world which is wholly set on wickedness, it's a wonder of wonders if we smell not of it, savor not of it: Therefore pure Religion Jam. 1.27. is said to keep a man unspotted from the world, Unspotted, that implieth what a noisome dunghill or filthy infecting place the world is; Oh then with what care and fear should the people of God walk in this world; Every hour, every day, thou art in danger of getting some spots and defilements upon thee; Thou art not in Heaven or Paradise, but in a place where the devil hath his Throne▪ He ruleth in this world, and therefore pray and watch, depend upon Christ, little dost thou think what mire thou mayest fall in, if the arm of grace support thee not; Did not our Savior say to his very Disciples that they should take heed of surfeiting and drunkenness, that their hearts should not be overcharged with the cares of this world, Luk. 21.34. Who would not have thought the Disciples far enough from this sin, yet they must take heed ; If the green Tree may so easily take fire, what will not the dry do?
Secondly, As there is the world infecting, so there is the world tempting and seducing even by lawful comforts ; It infects by sin, it seduceth by lawful good things, and herein is great danger to godly men, their Houses, Wives, Children, their health, wealth, and whatsoever is a worldly good, These are apt to ensnare and seduce our hearts, So that the love, care, and joy about these things shuts out that love to God, 1 Cor. 7. The Apostle tells us, that those who marry must be as if they married not, those that buy as if they bought not, and those that use the world as not abusing it ; So that there is using of this world and abusing it; using it, when we make all these comfortable things we enjoy instrumental to God's glory and our good, but abusing it when we do use them too much, So abuti the Latin word is used sometimes, when the Waters overflow the Banks; But who can stand under this Truth? Who can endure this glorious Light? Is not the world a tempting world though not an afflicting? Thou dost not communicate with the wickedness and gross impieties the world lieth in, but thy heart is over-charged and surfeited with affections to lawful things, Thou over-lovest, over-grievest, Thy trade is a snare to thee, Thy Wife, thy Children are snares to thee, they draw thee into this and that immoderate affection; One of the Ancients saw in a Vision, that the world was full of Snares, Thus indeed it is, Thou canst not be at home or abroad, Thou canst not be in this or that condition but there is a Snare; Even as the Bird cannot light upon the ground but the Fowler hath set a snare for her everywhere; Oh then how well is it that not only we pray but Christ hath prayed to keep us from the evil of all these things; To have riches and sin not, To have health and sin not, To have mercies and offend not; Know then that Egypt was not fuller of Frogs and Lice in every chamber, in every hole, then rhe world is of Temptation to sin: There is no mercy, no relation, no condition, but it will draw out a world of sin, if thou watch not, every Creature is a kind of a devil, Christ warrants that expression when he said to Peter, Get thee behind me Satan, Mat. 16.23. When he tempted him from his duty; Thou hast cause sometimes to say to the best comfort thou hast in the world, Get thee behind me Satan, Thou savorest not the things of God.
Thirdly, A godly man's danger ariseth from the deceitfulness of the world with the things thereof : Thus Mat 13. it's called the deceivableness of Riches : And 1 Cor. 7. the world is said to have a fashion, That as in the stage there are pleasing gestures and representations, but they pass away immediately, and you think you see Kings and Queens, but there is no such matter; Thus it is with the world it promiseth thee peace, joy, comfort; Oh if thou hast it thou art ready to think thyself made, but it proveth a Sodom's apple, Ezekiel's Roll, sweet in the mouth but bitter in the belly; Now because it hath such a present sweetness to allure, whereas grace is for the present rather bitter, therefore are the godly in so great danger; There are sweet baits everywhere but dangerous hooks; Judas thought his thirty pieces a sweet morsel, but it proved wormwood and gall when it was devoured; Achan thought the wedge of Gold a sweet bit, and Gehazi Naaman's Talents, but alas it was gall though it had the color of honey, so that it's very much, if the godly man escape undoing himself, Seeing there is so much deceivableness everywhere; that which is real misery seems a desirable good; That which is full of bitterness yet appeareth, as if altogether good, So true is that, Per fallacia mala itur and vera bona per fallacia bona itur and vera mala, By seeming evils we come to real good, and by seeing God to real evil.
Fourthly, The Godly man is in danger because of the suitableness of the worlds temptation with that corruption within ; So that he hath a dangerous Enemy about the Walls, and a treacherous party within; The world and his heart are in a Confederacy against the good of his soul, so that thou canst not eat or drink, or sleep in safety because of the adversary without, and the Traitor within; If thou hadst Argus his eyes they would be too little to look about thee in this matter, for an Angel who is free from any inward filth to be sent into this world, and to be here doing the will of God, it's no danger, there is no fear that an Angel should sin, because though the world should tempt in all the allurements of it, yet there is nothing within to receive those sparks, but now man carrieth about with him prepared matter of sin, he hath a body and law of sin within him, and therefore the world doth no sooner knock at the door but this root of sin betrayeth all, sets open all, insomuch that the godly man is hardly saved, because there are so many Spies laid in wait to damn thy soul, as there were to kill; Now the Apostle John, 1 Joh. 2.16. when he had exhorted not to love the world or things in the world ; He doth divide all the things of the world into three heads, and who is there that liveth in the world that is not in danger of being ensnared and overtaken by one of these.
1. There is the lust of the flesh, that is, all those things that draw out the pleasure and delights of a man immoderately; Thus the young man he finds the Word a very whirlpool; Beware of too much pleasure as eating of too much honey, it will quickly turn to a Surfer.
2. There is the lust of the eyes, Expositors say this is Covetousness, for so according to the Scripture an earthly heart is described, because whatsoever profitable thing it seeth, it's ready to desire it; Another man's land, another man's house another man's goods, so that the eye like hell is never satisfied, and thus the world is a dangerous Whirlpool to the old man, who as in his body he is every day growing nearer to the earth, so his soul also groweth more earthly, desiring it most of all when he shall have the least need of it
3. There is the pride of life, and that is all those things that draw out ambition, pride, and desire of great things in this world; To have power, greatness, and preeminency above others, this is the middle age sin, so that the Apostle doth lay down three main capital Springs of all the evil in the world, and makes them like three predicaments, to which all other things may be reduced: Now do but consider what a Sympathy and fitness there is between these Objects and man's corrupt heart, and it must needs be that every man will inevitably sink in these Waters unless Grace do keep him up.
Fifthly, A godly man's danger in this world to sin, is because of the clogging and dulling disposition all things in the world work in respect of heavenly things : The earth is the most heavy Element, and therefore a stone the product thereof falls down speediy; Thus men of the world they are the most senseless, heavy and stupid men about heavenly things that are; They incline with all might to these things below: This is the reason why the Scripture so often saith, a man cannot serve God and the world, Friendship of the one is Enmity to the other; As a stone cannot ascend upwards, Jam. 44. So that though a godly man be never so powerful in grace, yet the world doth cool him, dull him, and indispose him: It causeth dust in his eyes, and lead in his heart, To pray, to hear with worldly thoughts is to swim with a Millstone about a man's neck; Hence Mat. 13. the cares of this world are said to choke the Corn that came up so hopefully: As the Lark doth not sing sweetly till she is got aloof from the earth towards the heavens, so neither can the soul full of earthly and worldly thoughts, May not then the godly cry out, O Lord I would fain meditate with delight on thee but this world will not let me: I would gladly serve thee without dullness and distraction, but this world will not let me; Oh that while we are in our callings, in our worldly businesses, we would think of what danger we were in: Korah and Dathan were swallowed up in the Earth bodily, take heed thy soul be not spiritually that is a more grievous judgment.
Sixthly, A godly man's danger i • in respect of the discouragements and disheartenings the world puts upon godliness, that is, man must be endowed with great might from above, that can despise all the reproaches and shame the Word of God meets with; Therefore a great encouragement is put upon the Confession of Christ before a crooked and wicked generation. Mat. 10.35. To be godly in the world, To own the strict and powerful ways of God in the world is to laugh amongst Lions, to dance among Serpents, to contemn all dangers; The Scripture tells us often that the world cannot but hate the Disciples of Christ, for they are as Light and Darkness together; Now then where there is continual opposition for thee to be steadfast is a great matter: Oh how many have suffered shipwreck because of the shame and reproach of the world; In mundo nihil nostrâ refert nisi ut quam primum de oe exeamus : Now these discouragers in Heavens way are not only the profane and wicked sort of men, but many times their dearest Friends, their Parents, their Husbands, their Wives: What will you be wiser then others? Will not you do as most do? Will you be a by-word where you live? Thus there is no time when Christ is to be born as it were, but there is some Herod or other to kill him: Insomuch that many Children had been saved but that their worldly Parents h • ndred them; Many Wives, but their worldly Husbands like Pharaoh to the Israelites, would not let them go out of Egypt to serve God; This made our Savior say, He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me, Matt. 10.37. This made him say, That he came to set Father against Son, and Mother against Daughter, and to make those of his own Household a man's Enemies, verse. 36. Because where Christ is obeyed there will be greater opposition to the contrary: Oh then Consider, the Word of God convinceth, the Ministry urgeth, Conscience presseth, but I have this or that worldly Friend, and he dasheth all, But if thy worldly Friends cannot hinder thee in the main for Godliness, yet they hinder thee in the degree and fervency of it; Thou art not so forward, so active as thou shouldst be; This is to endanger thy Salvation, for the lukewarm God will spew out of his mouth, Revel. 3.16. Oh take heed of saying, I dare not be more forward, I shall displease my Parents in doing thus, thou caust not please God at all; If thou wilt be Godly, be Godly as God, and his Word would have thee, Do not be stinted by carnal, worldly Friends: How many think they can never have Wealth and Riches enough, yet think they may quickly have too much of Godliness, and that this strictness will mar all, Sed modus diligendi Deum est sine modo.
Seventhly, A Godly man's Danger in this world is because the worldly Snares that are be improved to the utmost by the Devil, whose the world is, and in which he reigneth, 2 Corinth. 4.4. He is called the God of this world that blindeth the eyes of men : And he is said to have men captive in his Snares, 2 Timoth. 2.22. So that though God made the world, and it's his good Creature, yet as it is a wicked world, as it is immundus mundus ; So i • 's the Devils Seat, and so some expound the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the whole world lieth in wickedness, and in danger to be the Devils; If there were mere snares and baits to sin, it would not be so dangerous, but when they are Snares of the Devils setting, Baits of his making that is so cunning and subtle a Serpent, sliding into a man's heart every way; This makes the case more desperate: You see the Devil could tempt Eve to sin when there was no Corruption or Lust within, though she was pure and upright, how much rather when he hath to do with men corrupted and depraved inwardly; This is so great a matter that Ephes. 6.5. it is said, We wrestle not with Flesh and Blood but with Principalities and Powers in High places ; As if the Temptations of the world were nothing to those of Satan; And therefore he is called the Tempter, 1 Thessal. 3.5. Oh then the danger of a Godly man▪ the world tempts, his own flesh tempts, the Devils tempt; May not this make everyone in this world to look upon himself as Jonah in the Whales Belly, To cry out as zealously and as fervently to be delivered as he did.
Lastly, The Danger of a Godly man's being in this world appeareth by Examples recorded in Scripture; Those who have seemed to be putting one Leg into Heaven, have yet been pulled back by the world ; When men had escaped the gross pollutions of the world, yet the cares and love of the world did wholly undo them: The third kind of Hearers that began so hopefully did miscarry because of the world; Judas that wrought Miracles, and could say with the rest, That he had left all to follow Christ, was undone by the world; If you ask Paul what made his dear Demas that had been so long his Companion in the Gospel to forsake him, and to leave him, the reason was because he did cleave to this present world, 2 Tim. 4.10.
Use of Instruction, why there are so many duties to pray, to watch, to be working out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling; Why is all this? We are still in an evil World, Every Day, Every moment we may undo ourselves; We are not out of Egypt yet in Canaan, We cannot see all our Enemies drowned in the Red Sea: Alas! It is not thy Prayer, thy Fasting, had not Christ prayed could keep thee from the evil of the World; Thou couldest no more live the Life of Grace in this wicked world then they say Birds can live near the Lake Asphaltites, that by its Sulphurous Smell kills them while they fly over it: Do not think to say all the Jebusites and Wilde Beasts are destroyed, I may now bid my Soul take its ease: Oh let the fearful Fals of so many Godly in the Scripture be Pillars of Salt to thee who knoweth ere thou goest out of this World what a Judas thou mayest prove, what an Hell thou mayest make thyself, For though the Godly are kept by God's power that they shall persevere, yet they may get many Fals, tumble in the mire, seem the Devils Swine rather then Christ's Sheep for a while, and all is because they do not labor to keep their Garments lest their nakedness appear, They meet with searching Tempests therefore let them keep their garments close to them.
SERMON LII. Of the Danger God's People are in in the world, in respect of its hating and opposing of them; With Reasons why the Lord makes the world such a disquieting place, Such a Valley of Tears unto his own People.
JOH. 17.11.
THe Condition of the Disciples described by this, that they are said to be in the world, makes them the fit Object of Christ's Prayer and Petition, such are the Snares to sin and the outward troubles opposing, that were it not for this Prayer of Christ still putting forth its efficacy; None could arrive safe to the Haven.
We have handled the danger of being in this world, as it is tempting and seducing to sin.
Now let us consider it as it is an hating and opposing world of those that fear God, as it is an Egypt ; Before we handled it as it was a Sodom ; We considered the honey of it, now the sting; The world fawning, now the world fighting; As it was a glistering Serpent, now as a roaring Lyon; So that the Subject we intend to pursue is, That the Godly are in this world as Daniel thrown amongst Lions, as Sheep among Wolves ; As the Disciples in the Ship, that were tossed up and down ready to sink every moment; This is so sore a Temptation that our Savior doth often forewarn them of it, that they may be forearmed, Joh. 15.18, 19. There he foretells their Portion to be hated of the world : Hatred is the highest degree of a man's enmity, it's circa speciem, not individua ; It's not enough to destroy one Disciple, one Godly man, but they would rase the whole kind out of the Earth; Expect no mercy from any wicked man, he hateth thee; and did not God restrain him, he would utterly undo thee; That every godly man is not devoured by the wicked is as great a Miracle as that the waters should stand still and not overflow the Israelites ; It's not for want of malice and a will, only God who chained up the devil their Master, that he could not hurt Job any further then he was permitted, doth also confine his Children and Instruments; Our Savior gives the reason why they will hate them, for it might seem strange why the Godly should be so opposed, they wrong none, they defraud none, they injure none; Oh but saith our Savior, You are none of the worlds, you are not of them; Would you drink, swear, run into the same excess as they do, then it would love you and embrace you, Likewise Joh. 16.33. Our Savior tells them again of this trouble from the world: And why again? Because it's a very heavy burden to bear; To live among Neighbors as among so many Serpents and Scorpions, among unreasonable men, as Paul calls them, and he prayeth to God to be delivered from them, 2 Thes. 3.2. Unreasonable men, that are carried by no Religion, no Conscience, no reason, but their lusts and passions, Men that will hate you, because they will hate you, absurd men as it is in the Greek: You see Paul was afraid to fall into the hands of such men, and David in many Psalms complaineth of this more then anything; That there were men who had teeth like Lions, and a tongue like a sharp Razor, So true is that, Homo homini Lupus, & homo homini Daemon ; Because therefore this is such a strong Tempest ready to shake the tallest Cedar, Our Savior again and again bids them expect it, for it's a great-quieting of the heart to be able to say, This is no more then I looked for, I thank God I am one that the world hateth, I should suspect myself if wicked men loved me, our Savior therefore tells them, they shall have trouble 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that is, such trouble as squeezeth and oppresseth, tribulation, a word that comes from a Thorn or Thistle that pricketh, or else from the Flail that beateth out the Corn; This you must look for, but then mark the cordial, Be of good comfort I have overcome the world, You are sure of Victory before you begin to fight·
To Consider this more exactly Let us take notice of the several ways whereby a Godly man falls into trouble in this world, and it ariseth from many Springs.
1. Seeing that the most holy and godly that are have many imperfections and divers sins, therefore God he brings many troubles on them ; God in the first place he troubleth them, though his troublings be like the troubling of the Pool, it's in mercy, and that healing might be vouchsafed; Thus God troubled David, and made him encounter with grievous calamities because of sin; Thus whom God loveth he chasteneth, Heb. 12.6. This is God's judging of us that we might not be condemned with the world ; And certainly it is this that so deeply wounds the Godly, that wicked men's tongues are but God's Instruments of his displeasure, as David when Shimei railed on him, The Lord hath bid him, saith he, 2 Sam. 13.
But besides those troubles which come mediately from God by Instruments there are immediate exercises which are more difficultly born then any outward troubles; Thus God troubled Job, when he complained, The arrows of the Almighty stuck fast in him, Job 6.4. Thus David often complaineth, God doth hide his face from him, and he was troubled ; These are temptations the carnal man is ignorant of, he was never in these deeps where there is no trouble like this; If it were Plague, Famine Diseases, the Soul could bear them, but a wounded Spirit who can bear, Prov. 28.14. So that herein the world is a place of trouble and misery, that God many times exerciseth his own people for their sins, leaveth them in darkness, yea, in an hell, that they are weary abroad and weary at home; Whereas when once arrived in heaven, there shall be no more night but bright day always.
2. The trouble of God's people in this world ariseth from Satan ; He is their professed Enemy, and so creates them all the misery he can, that because he cannot torment them in hell he will do what he can in this world; Thus Peter compareth him to a Roaring Lion, 2 Pet. 5.8. How can a man but be troubled to be in the danger of many Legions of these unclean Spirits, Eph. 6. We are said to wrestle with these Principalities and Powers in darkness ; This our Savior meant in part when he told Peter, Luk. 22.13. That Satan had desired to sift them as Wheat; In sifting there is a commotion and a great agitation; Thus the devil intended not the separating of the Chaff from the Wheat, but to trouble and to confound them, that so they might the easier sin; Was not Paul exceedingly troubled when 2 Cor. 12. he complaineth of the buffering of Satan, against which he prayed often, so that there is scarce any godly man but the devil doth immediately cause trouble in his Soul by sad temptations, heavy suggestions, he comes and takes the good Seed away as soon as it is sown, his Temptations are like so many Egyptian Frogs, always croaking and troubling the Believer that he cannot pray, cannot believe in a promise, cannot walk in faith and peace as he ought to do, The devil makes it a troublesome world.
3. The godly man's trouble ariseth from the wicked and profane in the world, And this is the proper meaning of the Text, This is the world that hateth them, viz. the ungodly and wicked men, which are the greatest part in the world; This therefore the godly must make account of, Think it no strange thing to have wicked men malice thee, deride and trouble thee; David though a King yet Drunkards would make Songs of him, Psa. 69.11. Christ though never any walked so holily and unblameably as he did, yet they slandered him and said, He had • n Devil ; Mat. 12. The whole Nation cried, Crucify him, Crucify him, and they would have Barabbas a Murderer spared before him; Now our Savior tells us, that the Servant must not expect to be above his Master, Joh. 13 16 If they abused, derided, and reproached Christ, thinking he was not worthy to live; Dost thou think to escape? Did ever any Wolf or Lyon love the Sheep? Can the Serpent but have enmity to a man? Will not Cain kill Abel? Ishmael persecute Isaac? No, darkness cannot agree with light, nor Christ with Belial, The Sheeps blood is sweetest, and they find a kind of sweetness in their scofts and malicious plots against thee; Let the godly then not give place to any discouragement for a moment, Let the world rage, revile, oppose, thus must thou enter into Glory ; Wicked men's tongues are like those Dogs tongues that licked Lazarus whole; Their reproaches, their malicious words will help to make thee more Godly, and make thee walk so watchfully that thou mayest put them to shame which thus speak evil and disgracefully of thee.
4. The Godly man's trouble in this world ariseth not only from professed wicked men and open enemies, but many times even from those who really or apparently look towards the same Heaven with them : And this is the worst trouble that can come from men, Some are only Friends in show, and it's no wonder if they at last appear without their vizor; David makes sad complaint of his familiar friend, with whom he took sweet counsel, that this man should rise against him, Psa. 41.9. and Paul also complaineth of the peril he was in by false Brethren, 1 Cor. 11.26. So that this is no new thing even for those who profess the same Christian way, and that in a most intimate manner, yet to become Enemies and Adversaries to those that truly fear God, was not Christ betrayed by Judas one of his own Company, that had left all, to become his Disciple, yea, not only from apparent and seeming Friends, but even from those who do truly look towards Heaven, yet there is many times great trouble created by them: Was there not a Paroxysm between Paul and Barnabas? Did not the Corinthians go to Law and wrong one another? Doth not the Apostle James tell them of their envyings and their devourings of one another, I am. 13.16. Why doth our Savior above all things pray in this Chapter for the Disciples Unity, That they might be one, but because of the proneness that is even in God's Children, to fall out with one another, as Jacob's Children did; Hence we see Believer against Believer, Christian against Christian, pursuing one another even to death; It was Cyprians Complaint of old, Madet orbis Christianus mutuo sanguine, & quod cum privati fecerint homicidium dicitur, eum publice geritur virtus vocatur: Oh what a sad thing is it not to see Sheep and Wolf, but Sheep and Sheep devouring one another; Doth not experience convince of this? Are not many godly men's Enemies of the same house, of the same Religion, of the same Christian Faith with him? Oh this is hard to bear, if it were a profane and wicked Instrument of the devil, I could bear it, but it is such an one with whom I have prayed often, humbled myself often; They acknowledge the same principles of godliness, the same experiences upon their souls, yet are like Lions.
5. God hath made the world a troublesome world in all Conditions, in all Relations, so that none can find this place any other then a Valley of Tears ; The Apostle 1 Cor. 7. showeth the condition of Married Persons, that they shall have trouble in the Flesh ; The Married Condition hath it's trouble, the single hath its Trouble: There is trouble in Husbands, Wives, Children, in all Callings, The Husbandmans, The Citizens, God will not let us have a Paradise in this world, lest we do as the Reubenites that desired to sit down in a Country fruitful for Cattle, and cared not to enter into Canaan ; It was Basils Opinion that the Earth before Mans Fall brought forth no Thorns or Thistles, and that the Rose did grow without pricks; But here is no such Blessedness now; Out of the same Fountain comes bitter and sweet, From the same Root grow Figs and Thistles, Grapes and Thorns: There is no Mercy or outward Comfort but hath its Insufficiency, and there are as many drops of Gall as there are of Honey; Which made Job say, That man who is born of a Woman is full of Trouble, even as the Sparks fly upward, Job 14. It's as natural as for the fire to ascend, so that as it would be a miraculous and wonderful thing to see the Fire descend downward, no less would it be to see a man without some Trouble or other: We read of one Polycrates that never had any Adversity in his Life time, and he endeavored to put himself upon some Loss, but could not, for once he threw a Ring of a vast price into the Sea, intending to lose it, yet afterwards it was found in a Fishes Belly, and he had it again; But though he had no trouble for a long season, yet at last he was taken by an Enemy and put to Death with most exquisite torments; Though wicked men have the good things of this life, yet these good things are not merely and universally good; They have a Sting as well as Honey; They have Trouble as well as Comfort: The Godliest men have acknowledged that their days have been few and evil in this world: Oh then expect not a Summer always in this world; God hath subjected all these created Comforts to changes after a Glorious day to have a dark Night; Thou shalt have this Condition, this Relation, this Comfort thou desirest, but thou shalt also have the burden, and the trouble of it which thou dost not desire, Onus transit cum honor.
Lastly, A man's Trouble doth arise from his own self ; If there were no devil, no wicked men to trouble, yet such is the Unbelief and the Discontents that are apt to rise in a Godly man, that he would be a Trouble, an Enemy, yea, a Devil to himself: Doth not David often speak of the frettings and heating that his heart was in, and who put him into it: What made his Soul like a Foaming Sea? Was it not his own diffidence, his own froward heart; Austin cried once, Libera me Domine, a meipso tanquam maximo host, which holds true, not only in a sinful way but in a troubling way: Oh how many times doth a Christian raise up his own Fears, his own Jealousies, and his own Doubts; So that as the Linnen breedeth the Moth that corrupteth and destroyeth it, as the Tree the worm that eats it; Thus from a man's own heart arise such troublesome Thoughts, and Cares, and Fears, that he may be called a Mager Missabib, Fear round about him : We see then in how many particulars God is pleased to make this World a troublesome Place to us while we live and continue in it, and also a very dangerous place; That we should as much fear to be in it as in Sodom, when Fire and Brimstone was ready to fall down from Heaven to consume it,
Let us in the next place Consider the Grounds and Reasons Why the world is thus made by God a disquieting and troublesome place to the Godly ; That they are but as Pilgrims and Strangers in it, and therefore are little esteemed by it.
[Reasons. 1] And first, That our Hearts may not be immoderately and inordinately cleaving to this world ; We see there are many strict Commands against the Love of it: Now if we are so ready to love it though so troublesome, what if it were nothing but content; If (saith Austin ) though it be Mundus amarus a bitter world thou lovest to eat and to feed of it, what if it were dulcis a sweet world; If it be Mundus periturus a perishing world, and thou art so doting upon it, what if it were Eternus everlasting: If we can handle it with delight though full of pricks, what if smooth and plain; Certainly every Godly man should wean himself from these Breasts, Seeing God hath rubbed them with so much bitterness and affliction; When therefore thou meetest with Crosses, with Troubles, with the Deceitfulness and Inconstancy of worldly Comforts, say, This is to instruct and teach me, that I am not to expect an Heaven here; The world is an Enemy thou must not love it, though commanded to love our Enemies: Here may be an over-loving an over-desiring: Here the Rule is much more true then in Physicks, Appetitus non est Regula Concoctionis, Thou must hunger after these Earthly things no more then thou canst concoct or improve for God's Glory and thy own particular good; And let the Godly know, Their greatest danger lieth in these inordinate Affections more then in gross sins; These Cares will grow up with Duties when open profaneness makes a man wholly to despise them.
[Reasons. 2] Secondly, The Lord makes the world thus full of Enmity to us that we might remember what our Condition is, that we are but Pilgrims and Strangers, and therefore are not to settle our abode here, Heb. 11. They that say such things declare they look for a better City: Oh how apt are we to make the world our home; To desire we might abide here always, To think of no other Happiness or Blessedness but what is in the Creatures, but God by the Troubles therein doth convince us, that there must be a better Condition then this; We have no abiding place in this world, we are here today, tomorrow we may be gone, and therefore we should be Diligent in Watching and Praying, and preparing for our Masters Coming: Oh what a Bridle would it be to our carnal Affections to remember we are but Sojourners and Strangers here: To look upon thy Estate and Inheritance no otherwise then a Traveler doth upon the Goods in an Inn.
[Reasons. 3] Thirdly, The Lord makes this world full of Enmity and Hatred against us, That we might not symbolize with it or contract any of the guilt and pollution of it upon our Souls: It is a Mercy that Wicked men are Scorpions and Serpents, That they are Wolves and Lions, hereby thou art chased and affrighted from their Company and Society; whereas if they were loving and pleasing thou wouldest be often with them, and so sit in the Chair of the Scorner, and come into the Assemblies of wicked men: Is it not a Mercy to be kept from a Pest-house, or a Place where Infectious Diseases are; Thus God hath put such an Enmity and Contrariety between the Godly and the Wicked: There is such a great Gulf and vast distance that Solomon saith, The wicked is an abomination to the Righteous, and the Righteous to the wicked, Prov. 29.27. The Godly man can no more endure the wicked man's ways then the Wicked can abide a Godly man's ways; Therefore bless and praise God for this Enmity and opposition, and make good and profitable use of it.
[Reasons. 4] Lastly, The Lord doth it, That Heaven and the Enjoyment of him to all Eternity may be more prized and better esteemed by us ; We must with Lot even be violently pulled out of this Sodom ; Oh our sinful and our unworthy Hearts, that we should so delight to be tossed and hurried up and down in the Ocean, and be afraid to come to the Haven; That Death should be so unwelcome when it is the Passage to incomprehensible and immortal Glory; What have not all thy Pains, Afflictions, and Grievances yet made thee long and thirst for Heaven? Dost thou not think, Here I am sighing, crying, diseased, distressed, when the Glorious Saints in Heaven are rejoicing.
Use of Instruction To the people of God, Not to be dejected, but rather to be exceeding glad, as our Savior commands, when the wicked world opposeth them for their Godliness and Uprightness; For mark our Savior's Expression herein, Matth. 5.20. It must be for Christ's Sake, and Righteousness Sake, not for any wickedness or ungodliness of thy own: Do not take the just reward of thy sins to be the glorious Consequents of holiness, But if it be because thou fearest God, thou ownest God and his way, thou standest up for his Truth and Godliness, then leap and dance for Joy that God hath put so much honor upon thee; Say with David, I will be more vile still, The Stars are never the less glorious though they have given them ugly Names, of the Bear, and the like: So neither are the godly less Glorious though the world labors to besmear them with dirt, a Jewell is a Jewell though soiled with dirt.
SERMON LIII. The Exaltation of Christ improved for the joy of of all Believers.
JOH. 17.11.
THis is the Third distinct Argument in this Verse which Christ useth in his Petition for his Disciples; Some indeed take it Exegetical or Declarative of what he meant by saying He was no more in this world; But others take the Particle 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ratiocinatively, as a Reason why he is no more to be in the world, because he is going to the Father.
This Argument implieth then that Christ by going out of the world doth not cease to be, but that he goeth to the Father, and there will be a potent Favorite in the Court of heaven for them; Christ then speaking here of his Local Motion, we may in this as in all such Motions Consider,
1. The term from which, that is the world, which is not to be understood as if he did depose and lay down his human Nature, or that he was not still present in an efficacious invisible manner, but in respect of a bodily presence; This place confutes Popish Transubstantiation, and the Lutheran Ubiquity of Christ's Body.
2. There is the term to which, to thee.
3. The Via per quam, the way by which, and that is implied by his Death and Sufferings: In the Greek it is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , in other places it is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and once that is used absolutely, The Son of man goeth, &c. Mat. 26.24. That is he dieth, here there is contained much comfort to his Disciples, that neither Christ's Enemies or Death did overcome him, but by Death he goeth to his Father, and that for the great benefit and advantage of all true Believers.
Obs. That Christ by Death went to his Father ; Here is much practical Divinity in this Point; We see our Savior again and again instructed his Disciples about his; He knew how much his Sufferings and Death would amaze them and shake their Faith, he knew what a false principle they were possessed with, viz, that he would erect a temporal Glorious Kingdom; Therefore that they might not be undone by these thoughts, he tells them often both of his death, and whither by that he was to go, John. 14.3. Our Savior comforts their troubled hearts with this, that he was going to the Father, and that not merely for his own glory and honor, but also for their good; Even as Joseph was advanced in Pharaohs Court as well for the good of his Father and his brethren as for his own glory, and by the way observe that our Savior tells them, That they knew whither he went and the way, yet Thomas in the name of the rest saith, Lord, we know not whither thou goest : Now you may ask, Either Christ who is Truth itself spake not right, or Thomas, The answer is, Both spake right, for the Disciples knew in the general and confusedly but not distinctly or particularly, or they knew it habitually, but in time of temptation they did not put this knowledge forth; By this we see the Godly may have that grace and that faith in them, which yet they think is not there.
To open this Doctrine let us consider the several particulars that are enclosed in it.
[ 1] First, That it was appointed by God, that the way whereby Christ should from this state of humiliation come to glory with him, should be the way of ignominy, reproach, and death; It behooved the Son of man to suffer, and so enter into glory, Luk. 24.46. It must be so else the Justice of God could not be satisfied, else man's Redemption could not be obtained; This our Savior implieth, I come to thee, but how, Even as the Israelites to Canaan, through a Sea of blood; That then which our Savior quickly spake, was with great pain and agony undergone; I come to thee through fire and blood, The Father doth this to demonstrate the bloody nature of sin, the unspeakable love of Christ, and the order God hath appointed for all believers ere they come to glory, 1. the bloody nature of sin, for it was this and nothing else that put Christ to be a Sacrifice for us, had not Adam and we in him all apostatized from God; There had been no need of his death, but now by this transgression, and ours superadded, without the shedding of his blood, there could be no remission of sin; Yet oh the profaneness and blindness of the world, what a little matter do they make of sin, how easily do they think a pardon may be had for it; Oh remember the least vain thought or idle word cannot in this world or in the world to come be expiated but by Christ's blood only, had there been no other sin in the world but a vain thought, Christ must have undergone all that wrath of God and man ere it could be blotted out; Oh think of this you who like Leviathan