Twenty-Five Lectures Upon the Lords Last Sermon and Conference, Lecture 11
THE ELEVENTH LECTVRE, OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION.
IOHN, CHAP. XV. VERS. 15.16.17.18.
15 Hencefoorth call J you not ſeruantes: for the ſeruant knoweth not what his Master doeth: but J hauehave called you friendes: for all thinges that I hauehave heard of my Father, hauehave I made knowne to you.
16 Yee hauehave not choſen mee, but I hauehave choſen you, and ordained you, that yee goe, and bring foorth fruit, and that your fruit remaine; that whatſoeuer yee ſhall aske of the Father in my Name, hee may giuegive it you.
17 Theſe thinges command J you, that yee louelove one another.
18 If the world hate you, yee know that it hated mee before you.
HItherto in this Chapter (Beloued in the Lord Ieſus) wee hauehave heard of ſundrie exhortations which the Lord, being to depart out of this world, giueth to his Diſciples, who are to abide in this world behind him: Firſt hee exhorteth them to abide in that vnion with him: Then hee exhorteth them to good workes: Therefore hee commeth to the groundes▪ of all good workes: There are two groundes, The firſt is the louelove of God: the next, the louelove of man. Therefore hee exhorteth them firſt to the louelove of God: next, to the louelove of man. He ſetteth downe his owne example to them, to mooue them to louelove. The greatneſſe of his louelove to them hee ſetteth downe in compariſon, I layde downe my life for you: then there cannot bee a greater louelove, than that I beare to you. And leſt they ſhould doubt of his friendſhip, Yee are my friendes, ſayeth hee, and therefore my death appertaineth vntounto you. And leſt that friendſhip ſhoulde ſeeme to ſtande in worde onelie, hee ſubjoyneth a condition, Keepe my Commaundement, if ye would be my friendes. In this Text we hauehave read, in the beginning thereof, it might hauehave bene ſaid by the Diſciples, they were rather to be called ſeruants than friends. The Lord meeteth this, and ſayth, Hencefoorth call I you not ſervantes: for why? this is the condition of a ſeruant: he knoweth not the will of his Maſter: the Maſter will not call him to his counſell: but I, whatſoeuer thing I hauehave heard of my Father, being in the boſome of the Father, I hauehave reuealed it to you, and therefore I call you friendes. The meaning of the Text is eaſie: I obſerue this, It is true indeed, the Diſciples of Ieſus Chriſt, they were ſeruants, and will bee ſeruantes to him foreuer. If yee will ſeeke the ground of it, it is not onelyonly the creation, (for the creature is a ſeruant: all the Angels of Heauen are creatures, therefore ſeruants:) but the chiefe grounde why they were ſeruants, was by vertue of that redemption. When they were ſolde to ſinne, and to the Deuill, the Lord payed for them a precious ranſome. Rom. 14. verſ. 9. The Lord died for vsus, and reuiued, and all to this ende, that hee ſhould hauehave dominion ouer the quicke and the dead, and bee Lord ouer them whom hee hath redeemed. 2. Corin. 5. verſ. 15. Paul ſayeth, Conſidering the Lord hath died for me, and riſen, from hencefoorth I will not liue to my ſelfe, but to Chriſt. So thus the Apoſtles were ſeruantes to Chriſt: another way alſo, they were his ſeruantes by their calling: were they not Ambaſſadours of Chriſt? Nowe an Ambaſſadour is aye a ſeruant to him who ſendeth him. The Apoſtles of Chriſt were ſeruants, by creation, by redemption, and by vocation: But by this manner and kind of ſeruice, that they are ſeruants by redemption, and vocation, they are not ſeruants only, but friends. Whoſoeuer they be, that are redeemed by the blood of Ieſus Chriſt, they are not onelyonly ſeruantes, but friendes: they ſit in counſell with the Lord, whome the Lord hath redeemed: they get leaue to come in to the Chamber of the Bridegrome: And as Iohn the Baptiſt ſayth, Chap. 3. verſ. 29. As friendes to the Bridegrome, they ſtand in the Bridegromes Chamber, and heare him, and rejoyce: they heare him ſweetly: Yea, hee counteth vsus more than friendes, the Lord maketh vsus his Brethren: They are Sonnes of adoption, and as they are Sonnes, they get the Spirit of adoption, teſtifying to them, that they are Brethren. Rom. 8. verſ. 15. They crie, Abba Father. But yee will aske, Wherefore is it then, that the Lord will not call them ſeruants, but friendes? I anſwere, The Lord hath reſpect of the common ſort of ſeruantes, or rather of ſlaues. In thoſe dayes the Maſters communicated not their counſell to them, but commanded them, vnderunder ſuch a paine, to doe their will. Hee reſpecteth this, and hee denieth ſuch ſeruitude to his Diſciples. It is true, in this world there are not onlie ſeruants that are brethren to the Lord: but the Lord hath manie ſlaues, men and women 2. Timoth. Chap. 2. verſ. 20. In a great houſe, there are not onlie veſſels of golde and ſiluer, but alſo of wood, and of leame, ſome to honour, ſome to diſhonour. All this world is the Houſe of the Lord, and in this worlde, hee hath ſome ſeruantes in an honourable ranke, and manie ſlaues, yea, moe than ſeruantes who are free: the world is full of ſlaues. Now theſe ſlaues, they are bound to ſeruice by vertue of creation, & ſo is the Deuill. As for the redemdtion theſe ſlaues hauehave no part of it: and ſo it followeth, that hauing no part of that redemption, they hauehave no friendſhip with him: and being no friendes, they are no brethren: they gette not that bleſſed Spirite: but that Spirite which in the eight Chapter to the Romanes is called the Spirite of bondage and ſlauerie, which maketh them to feare for vengeance: They ſerue Chriſt, but all that ſeruice is euill, they are murthering men, they committe adulterie, their mouthes are full of blaſphemie, all their ſeruice is to euill: and it is but the breaking of the Lordes Commaundement, yet it is his ſeruice. In the ſecond Chapter of the Actes of the Apoſtles, and the thirteenth verſe, and Chap. 4. verſ. 28. The Deuill, and all his inſtruments, can doe nothing, but that thy hand hath ordained. The Lord hath decreed all to be done: & they ſhall gette their rewarde for doing. The Diſciples were free ſeruants of the Lord: as for ſlaues, they were not. Seeing all muſt bee his ſeruantes, wee ought carefullie to conſider, what ſort of veſſels, and in what ranke of ſeruantes wee are. The Apoſtle Paul, when hee hath tolde of this difference, whereof wee ſhewe in the great houſe, in the ſecond Epiſtle of Timothie, Chap. 2. verſ. 30. hee ſubjoyneth a token, whereby a man ſhall know whether hee bee a veſſell of honour, or diſhonour: Men ſhall well know whether they bee ordained to ſlauerie or not: Looke if they bee cleanſed from the filth of this worlde: looke if they be ſanctified veſſels, to work good in the houſe of the Lord: and if thou bee a foule veſſell, who can doe no good, ſaye with thy ſelfe, I hauehave no warrand that I hauehave to doe with the Lord Ieſus: and ſaye, that thou art a veſſell to deſtruction. And bleſſed is that ſoule that feeleth ſome piece of deſire with joye to doe well: for they hauehave a warrande, that they are veſſels of honour, and that they ſhall bee in Heauen with the LORD: So ſanctification is the moſt infallible token of our election and juſtification. Whereas hee ſayeth, All thinges that I hauehave heard of my Father, hauehave I made knowne to you, I marke this, That Chriſt, who came out of the boſome of his Father, reuealed to his Diſciples the whole counſell of God concerning the ſaluation of the worlde, which the Apoſtles preached thereafter fully to the worlde: for the holy Spirit called all thinges to their remembrance, which they had heard of the Lord, Iohn, 14. verſ. 26. And Paul, Act. 20. verſ. 27. profeſſeth, that he had kept nothing backe, but hee had ſhewed them all the counſell of God. It may be asked, whether all thinges that Chriſt himſelfe preached, and that the Apoſtles thereafter preached, bee fully ſet downe in writ? I anſwere, All things according to the matter and ſubſtance, albeit not in as many wordes, are left in regiſter: and wee affirme, That if Chriſt himſelfe were here preſent, hee would ſay no more, write no more, change nor alter nothing, according to the ſubſtance.
In the next verſe hee beginneth to giuegive an ordinance to preach after his departure, as yee reade in the 28. Chapter of Matthew, verſ. 19. Before he lay downe the ordinance, hee premitteth ſome words to prepare the hearts of his Diſciples to accept of it: J hauehave choſen you, and ye hauehave not choſen mee: therefore I hauehave ordained yee ſhould goe out, and bring out fruit. As the Lord would ſay, I hauehave choſen you to be Apoſtles to me, before yee thought ſuch a thing: I ſought you firſt, and ye ſought not mee: I preuented you, and ſo this office is of my grace: there is no cauſe in you, but the whole is aſcribed to mee. Was Peter ſeeking Chriſt, when hee was fiſhing? Was Matthew ſeeking Chriſt, when hee was ſitting at the Table with the Publicanes? Matth. 9. verſ. 9. Had Paul any mind of Chriſt, when hee was going to Damaſcus, to perſecute the poore Saincts of God? It is a good thing to knowe howe much Paul acknowledged this grace. Looke the firſt Chapter to the Gal. verſ. 15. When it had pleaſed the Lord to ſeparate mee from my mothers wombe, he called me by his grace, to reueale his Sonne to me, that I might preach him amongſt the Gentiles. See in howe pitthie words he ſetteth it downe. The ground of Pauls calling, was the good wil of God: and higher, the eternall ſeparation of him from his mothers wombe: and laſt, hee commeth to the grace of God. But this is the thing I marke: We ſee the Lord he groundeth his ordinance to his Diſciples vponupon his owne free grace: In election the Lord will hauehave all our calling to depend vponupon his mercy only: hee will hauehave his grace to preuent vsus. I am founde of them who ſought me not. Who dare ſay, I ſought the Lord, before he ſought me? He will be the firſt caller of vsus, to the end, that he ſhould hauehave a right to command vsus what hee pleaſeth. Another ende, that hee commanding vsus to doe it, with our whole hearts wee ſhould giuegive obedience, and ſay, Lord, I will anſwere thee. Bee not deceiued, the Papiſts are full of vanitie, they labour to ſet vp men with pride to diſobey God: that doctrine they teach maketh men proude: for when they ſpeake of workes of preparation, before their calling, and of a free-will, when they are called, whereto tendeth this doctrine, but to bereaue God of that power hee hath ouer vsus? Let this enter into our hearts once, We hauehave not all our grace of God; the Deuill ſeeketh no better: they thinke not, that they are altogether debt-bound to God: and if they doe him any ſeruice, they thinke he is in their common. The way to keepe our hearts in humilitie, and to diſpoſe them in lowlineſſe, is to thinke nothing of our ſelues: they that thinke that they hauehave nothing in nature, but rebellion, and hatred of all grace, they aſcribe all to God, and prayſe him, and they will ſay, Lord, ſeeing I hauehave no grace except thou giuegive mee it, and if thou bid mee ſuffer, I will ſuffer ten thouſand deaths. But weigh the words: In theſe words, that they ſhould goe, and bring out fruit, hee alludeth to the Vine tree: what is that, to bring out fruite? that is, they ſhall vantage, and win ſoules to God: and of all fruites, it is the beſt, to win loſt ſoules to Ieſus Chriſt, to dwell with him in Heauen: to drawe them out of that damnation, he ordaineth that they ſhould not begin only, but that their fruit ſhould abide: that is, they ſhould continue all the time of their life to win ſoules to Ieſus Chriſt, and ſhould continue vntounto the ende. Nowe knowe this, It is not enough in any calling once co begin to doe well, to fructifie; but there muſt be perſeuerance to the end: the ende of all our well doing muſt bee with our laſt ende: Let our labours in this life, and our life goe together: At all ſeaſons, a tree will not bring out fruite: but it is required in a Chriſtian, that hee bring euermore out fruit at all times: they hauehave no ſeaſon by another. And as this is requiſite in all men, ſo chi…fely is it requisite in them who are called to the Miniſterie, that they bee winning ſoules, and aye doing good, one way or other: no reſt for a Miniſter, but of all men, it is moſt requiſite that hee doe good. Paul ſ…th, 2 Timot. 4. verſ. 2. Preach the word, in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon: that is, no reſt for thee, Timothie. And truely the Apoſtle Paul himſelfe aboue all others preaſſed and endeuoured in hi… calling in the Miniſterie, to be faithfull: and hee thirſted ſo earneſtlie for that high price of Gods calling, that he neuer looked behind him, but aye ran, till he came to the ende of the race: and when hee came to the ende, he ſaith, I hauehave ended my courſe.
Now, that man is happie, in this life that layeth this grounde, There is no reſting for mee heere: I muſt not ſit downe: I am in a courſe going to Heauen: and ſo with an holy courage goeth forwarde, running on in his pilgrimage: for in the ende, hee ſhall get that Sabbath day of reſt, and he ſhall eate ſweetlie the fruits of his trauels. But if thou reſteſt in this life, and wilt not labour in thy calling in this life, and ſeekeſt thy reſt in ſinne, (for let him ſitte ydle, he ſhall reſt in ſinne and wickedneſſe,) thou ſhalt not get reſt afterwarde. There is no ſoule that will ſit downe in the race, that ſhall reſt with God in the Heauens. Alace, we ſet not that crowne of glorie before our eyes, and that is the cauſe wee runne not: but bleſſed is that ſoule that will take paine.
In the end of the verſe, to mooue them to doe well in their calling, he giueth them another argument, Whatſoeuer they ſhould aske in his Name, they ſhould get it. The world wanteth grace, for fault of asking. So the Lord would ſaye, Goe forwarde, and what yee ſhall aske in my Name, at my Father, (for without faith in him, wee will not be heard,) he will giuegive it you. The Lord obſcurely would meete a doubt. It is hard for vsus to doe well in this worlde: howe many impedimentes are in man? and howe many without him? And ſo, ere thou doe any good, theſe muſt bee remooued: So they might hauehave ſaid, It is hard for vsus, being ſo few, to goe out into the world: it is hard for vsus to begin, and farre harder to perſeuere. To this hee anſwereth, Aske at my Father, in my Name, and whatſoeuer ye ſhall aske in my Name, yee ſhall get it. Well doing is gotten by begging: and he or ſhee that will begin to doe any good turne, muſt beg it at the handes of him who hath grace to giuegive. So well doing beginneth at prayer: and continuance in well doing, dependeth vponupon continuance in prayer. Thou who wouldeſt continue in well doing, be aye praying, and aye asking. Paul, Epheſ. 6. verſ. 18. exhorteth the Chriſtian man of eueryevery ranke, to ſtand continuallie in Armour, ſo long as he liueth. Amongſt all the Armour, he ſaith, Euer pray, with all manner of prayer. There cannot be a ſtanding, without there be a continuance in prayer, night and day. There is nothing more requiſite, if thou wouldeſt doe well, than to continue in prayer: for why? all grace is in Heauen: except wee gette grace drawne out of Heauen, from God, wee cannot doe any good turne: and the only way to draw grace from Chriſt, (for hee is full of grace,) is, firſt to belieue in him, and to bee grounded on him: then next, with open mouth and heart to pray in his Name to the Father; & centainly, Heauē & earth ſhal go together, ere thou want grace: ere God deny thee thy prayer, al ſhalbe turned vpſide down: & thou ſhalt get that grace he thinks meet for thee in this life, and Heauen at length. In the next verſe, as before he hath enarmed his Diſciples, whom hee was to ſend out to the world with a piece of armour, to wit, prayer; ſo here he enarms them with another, I command you to louelove eueryevery one another. How needful it is that eueryevery man & woman, who would do wel, ſhould hauehave louelove, Paul, 1. Cor. 13. ſhews. Let a man do all the things in the world, yea, giuegive his body to be burnt, if there be no louelove in the heart, alauailes not: But chiefly to come to a Miniſter, of all men it is moſt requiſite that a Miniſter hauehave louelove in his hart: otherways all is nothing, all his language & preaching auailes nought, if the heart hauehave not a louelove of the ſaluation of man and woman. So the thing he regardeth, is that louelove be in their heart. Yee knowe what a louelove Paul had: he had ſo great a louelove to the ſafety of his kinſmen, that he would hauehave wiſhed to be Anathema for them: looke what a louelove he vttereth, 2. Cor. 6. verſ. 11. he ſaith, O Corinthians! our mouth is open to you, our heart is made large: yee are not kept ſtraite in vsus, but yee are kept ſtraite in your owne bowels. So there are manie graces required in a Miniſter, but chiefelie louelove: and if hee hauehave no louelove, hee will not care by, howe manie periſhe. Yet farder: they ſhould not onelie hauehave louelove to their people; but alſo Paſtors ſhould hauehave mutuall louelove amongſt themſelues: they ſhoulde hauehave vnitie of heart, goe where they will. There is nothing that ſerueth more for making vp of that bodie of CHRIST, than the ſweete agreeing of the Labourers: when they agree, the worke of the Lord goeth forward: as workemen, when they worke together in one vnion, the worke goeth forwarde. And a man who carrieth enuie in his heart, hee ſhall neuer preach Chriſt truelie, but hypocriticallie. Paul, in the firſt Chapter to the Philippians, verſ. 15. hee ſpeaketh of two ſortes of Preachers: Some, ſaith he, preach to increaſe mine affliction, ſome of louelove. Then he ſaith, What then? yet CHRIST is preached, all maner of wayes, whether it be vnderunder a pretence, or ſincerely, and I therein joy, yea, & will joy. He ſpeaks this in his bands. So whoſoeuer hath contention againſt his fellow-labourer, preach as they will preach, they make the Goſpel a cloake to couer their malice and hypocriſie. VponUpon the other part, they onelyonly who hauehave intiere louelove to their fellow-labourers, teach Chriſt ſincerely. Wee ſee the Apoſtles, when they make mention of their fellow-labourers, howe honourably they ſtile them, what great affection they vtter vntounto them: as Paul, when hee ſpeaketh of Timothie, Titu…, and others.
Now I goe forward: If the world hate you, yee know that it hated mee before you. This is the third part of the Chapter, wherein he comforteth them againſt the hatred and perſecution of the world: and ſo hee warneth them to goe out after his departure: I knowe well enough, the world will hate you. Then he comforteth them with his example, HaueHave they not hated mee before you? There is the ground, The ſeruant is not greater than his Maſter. The Lord Ieſus is worth all the Apoſtles and Miniſters that euer were. Shall the ſeruant ſtart, and runne, when he is hated, ſeeing the great hatred and malice the Lord ſuffered? No man in the worlde ſuffered ſo great perſecution as the Lord, and ſo patiently: And had it not beene that the Lord Ieſus tooke on that euill, thou ſhouldeſt hauehave ſuffered more than the hatred of the world: that is, the very wrath of God. So to moue them to patience, hee layeth downe his owne example, as before he proponed his example to louelove God, to keep his Commandements, and louelove their neighbour: So hee commendeth neuer a thing to them without his owne example. There is nothing that the Lord will bid thee doe, but hee will let thee ſee that ſame firſt done by him: Hee ſetteth himſelfe before vsus as a patterne. And as concerning this patience in ſuffering, it is needefull that this example of Ieſus Chriſt bee euer before the eyes of any that woulde ſuffer: for it is againſt our nature, to ſuffer anie waye: Yea, it is ſo needefull, that there was neuer a man or woman who ſuffered, if they had not had that ſuffering of Ieſus before them, that could ſuffer patiently. The example of all the patience in the worlde, will not cauſe one to ſuffer patiently, except thou get a ſenſe of that ſuffering: for faith in Chriſt Ieſus, is the ground of all well doing: Ieſus Chriſt muſt be in thine heart, ere there bee any good vertue in thine heart: for it is faith in Chriſt Ieſus, that reformeth the heart: Except wee hauehave him in the heart, there is no good in it. Therefore Paul, when he recommendeth any vertue vntounto vsus, hee vſeth to ſet before vsus the example of Chriſt, as a moſte forcible argument: as when hee exhorteth vsus to modeſtie, hee ſaieth, Let the ſame minde bee in you, which was in Ieſus Chriſt, Philip. Chap. 2. verſe. 5. And when hee commendeth patience, in bearing the infirmities of weake brethren, hee bringeth his example: For Chriſt alſo, ſaieth hee, would not pleaſe himſelfe, Rom. Chap. 15. verſ. 3.
Then, if thou wouldeſt hauehave louelove, or meekneſſe, or anie vertue into thine heart, hauehave the Lord into thine heart, and caſt thine eye vponupon him. In one word, belieue in Ieſus Chriſt: and getting a ſight of him, thou ſhalt finde a ſweete change of thy nature: then thou ſhalt bee an holie liuer, and a patient ſufferer, and thou ſhalt growe in all good vertue, and that through Chriſt Ieſus: To whom, with the Father, and the Spirit of Trueth, bee all praiſe, honour, and glorie, foreuermore. AMEN.