Twenty-Five Lectures Upon the Lords Last Sermon and Conference, Lecture 18
THE XVIII. LECTVRE, OF CHRISTS PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION.
IOHN, CHAP. xvii. VERS, 2.3.
As thou haſt giuen him power ouer all fleſh, that hee ſhould giuegive eternall life to all them that thou haſt giuen him.
And this is life eternall, that they knowe thee to bee the onelie verie God, and whom thou haſt ſent, Ieſus Chriſt.
WEE ſhewed you the laſt daye, (Welbeloued in the Lord Ieſus Chriſt) that this Prayer which the Lord made to his Diſciples before his death, ſtandeth in three parts: Firſt hee prayeth for himſelfe, and his owne glory: Secondly, he prayeth for his Apoſtles, and for their preſeruation: Laſt, he prayeth for the whole Faythfull, the whole Kirke that ſhould bee on the face of the earth, to the ende of the worlde. The laſt day we entered into the firſt part. His petition in the firſt part, was Father, glorifie thy Sonne. The firſt argument of his petition, was The houre is at hande: that is to ſaye, The houre of my death is at hande, therefore it is time that I ſhould be glorified: Let mee not lie for euer, would hee he ſay, in that terrible, and ignominious, and offenſiue death; but after the death, after that ſhame and ignominie, that I ſhall ſuffer, immediately glorifie me.
Then the next argument was, Glorifie thy Sonne, Father, that thy Sonne may glorifie thee. I ſhall glorifie thee againe, would hee ſaye, and in mine exaltation, and glorifying me, thou ſhalt be glorified, and ſo the whole glory ſhall redounde to thee: therefore, Father, glorifie me. In this Text which wee hauehave nowe read, followeth the thirde reaſon of his petition, why hee desireth that the Father ſhould glorifie him: The thirde reaſon is, That I may giuegive life euerlaſting to them that thou haſt giuen to mee. As he would ſay, Father, glorifie mee, and I ſhall giuegive life euerlaſting to thy Choſen: it ſhall not bee for nothing, but as my glory ſhall redounde to thy glory, ſo it ſhall redounde to the ſaluation of thy Choſen, to the ende of the world. Ere he come to the argument, he layeth downe the ground of it, which is, the authority that the Father had giuen to him: Thou haſt giuen mee authoritie ouer all fl…ſh, ſayth the Lord. This ground of the gift of life euerlaſting▪ is a power and authority, which the Father hath giuen to the Sonne. Whoſoeuer giueth life, hee muſt hauehave a great authority, and a greater than all this earth hath. All the Kings in the worlde hauehave not authority to giuegive life to a gnat. Indeede the authority of a King may take away the life: but they hauehave no power, no if it were but to giuegive this life naturall, let bee life euerlaſting: And ſo that power muſt be great, to giuegive life euerlaſting. So this Princely and Kingly authority, the Lord Ieſus hath receiued of his Father: Ye know his offices, his Kingly office, his Prieſtly and Propheticall office: Life euerlaſting, and the gift of it, is grounded on that Kingly authority which the Lord hath gotten from his Father. But howe farre extendeth it? Thou haſt giuen mee authoritie ouer all fleſh. Neuer man, nor woman, is exempted from the Kingly power of Ieſus Chriſt, whether they be choſen or reprobate. Looke the fifth Chapter of this Goſpel, The Father hath giuen the Sonne all authoritie and judgement, and by him doeth adjudge to life the choſen, and to death the reprobate: So there is neuer a ſoule exempted from his judgement. The Lord himſelfe in the 28. Chapter of Matth. verſ. 18. hee extendeth his authority larger: The Father, ſayth he, hath giuen mee all authoritie in Heauen and in Earth. So that Ieſus Chriſt hath not only authority ouer man and woman, but ouer the Angels in Heauen: he hath power ouer them all, and ouer the Deuils, and at the Name of IESƲS, all knees muſt bow, of things Heauenlie and Earthlie; if they bow not, they ſhall bee broken. I ſhall tell you more, which is very comfortable: This authority which the Lord hath gotten in Heauen, and in Earth, is not as he is God onlie: (bowbeit principally it be as he is God:) but this power that hee hath gotten ouer the Angels, is euen as hee is man: howbeit they bee glorious, and farre more glorious that men, yet they are not ſo glorious, as the man the Lord Ieſus. So, I ſaye, euen as he is man, he is head and King of the Angels. Looke the 5. Chapter of Iohn, verſ. 27. The Father hath giuen the Sonne all authoritie and judgement, as he is the Sonne of man: not onelyonly hath hee this power as he is God, but euen that nature of ours wherewith he is clad, hath this power. It is a worthie thing to bee marked, what the Lord gathereth of this authoritie. In the 28. Chap. of Matth. verſ. 18. The Father hath giuen mee all authoritie in Heauen and Earth: The…fore goe out, ſaith he, and preach, and baptize all Nations, in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the holie Ghoſt. So ye ſee, on that princelie authoritie which the Sonne hath, he ſendeth out his Diſciples to preach: And all that the Apoſtles did in the worlde, in preaching and baptizing, they did it on the authoritie of Chriſt Ieſus their Lord. There was neuer an Ambaſſadour, that went with ſuch a power, as the Apoſtles of Ieſus Chriſt had in the world. And, Brethren, to come to our ſelues, I ſay, euen this day, all this preaching of the Goſpel, and all this miniſtring of the Sacraments, and Diſcipline, all proceedeth of this princely and kingly authority of the Lord Ieſus. Marke it: The cloſing vp of Heauen, and the opening vp of Heauen to penitent ſinners, whether it bee by word or diſcipline, all is grounded on an higher authoritie, than all the authoritie of the worlde. There was neuer a King or Prince that had ſo great authoritie as this, whereon the Diſcipline, according to the worde of GOD, and exerciſe of Religion, is grounded. And they who contemne this preaching of the Goſpel, and miniſtring of the sacramentes, and Diſcipline, they contemne not the ordinance of man, (it were better for them to contemne all the authoritie of Kinges,) but they contemne the authoritie of the great GOD: for in the Kirke, there is none authoritie, but Chriſtes authoritie; and all that is done, is founded on this au…hority. We ſay not on the authority of Kings, or of the Pope. The Lord hath not tranſlated this authority to any creature: and therefore the Pope hath but an vſurped authority. As for the Miniſter, he hath no authority in his own perſon, but onlie in the Lord Ieſus. And this is the difference, betwixt the Kirke and the Policie, The Lord Ieſus hath giuen a part of his authority, to the King, or to the Magiſtrate: but the Lord Ieſus hath not giuen any part of his authoritie, to any of the Kirke. In the Policie, there are Kinges; but in the Kirke, there is none, but the Lord Ieſus. And all that tyrannie, in the kingdome of the Antichriſt, is but vſurped: there is not a minute of the word of GOD, that can be a ground to it.
When he hath layde downe the ground of life, hee telleth who will get this life. Will eueryevery one get this life? No, no, neuer one getteth this life from him, but the ſoule that the Father hath pulled out of this world, and put into his hand, The Lord will know well, to whom he will giuegive this life euerlaſting. It may be, he will throw a Kingdome to a man, and giuegive him theſe earthly things in great aboundance: but hee will not giuegive to eueryevery one the Kingdome of Heauen. If ye will weigh the words, ye ſhall ſee diſtinctlie, the part of the Father, and of the Sonne, in the worke of ſaluation: The Father giueth men to the Sonne, that is the part of the Father: J will giuegive them life euerlasting, that is the part of the sonne. Firſt the Father of the Lord Ieſus, chooſed out ſo manie, as hee would hauehave ſafe, in his Sonne Chriſt Ieſus: and then in time, hee calleth on them, whome hee hath choſen: hee knoweth them well enough: hee calleth them by his worde, and draweth the ſoules of them vntounto him: for if they bee not drawne, they will not come: as hee ſayeth in the ſixt Chapter of this Goſpel, verſ. 44. No man commeth to mee, but them whome the Father draweth. Hee draweth them by his holie Spirite, to the Sonne: and then hee, and the Sonne, keepeth them to the daye of their full redemption, and giueth them life euerlaſting. So yee may ſee in this place, and in the Epiſtle of Iude, at the beginning, that all, who are ſafe in Ieſus Chriſt, are firſt called by the Father: To them, ſayeth Iude, who are called and ſanctified by GOD, and are ſaued by IESƲS CHRIST. I marke on this, what is the grounde of this authoritie, where hee ſayeth, Theſe a home thou hast giuen mee, J will giuegive them life euerlasting: Hee aſcribeth this authoritie to the Father, and hee ſayeth, hee will ſaue none, but theſe whome the Father hath giuen him. All the Brethren, reade of IESƲS CHRIST, the Sonne of GOD, in this Euangel, and thorowe out the whole Goſpel, yee ſhall neuer reade of him, where hee ſpeaketh of anie thing that hee is doing, hath done, or ſhall doe; but hee giueth the whole glorie of it to the Father. What meaneth this? This is the ground of it, He had his commiſsion from the Father. He came from the Heauen to the Earth, out of the boſome of the Father: & he was an Ambaſſadour, ſent from his Father. Nowe it is good reaſon, that an Ambaſſadour, ſent in an Ambaſſadrie, not only in deed, but alſo in worde, honour his Prince: otherwayes hee is but a traytor. The LORD IESƲS was an Ambaſſadour ſent from the Father: therefore in all his actions, and in all his wordes, hee honoureth his Father. There is not one of vsus all, but wee hauehave a commiſsion from GOD, and is placed in a calling: and there is not one of vsus, high nor lowe, but wee are borne to doe ſome thing. Then, if the Sonne of God, equall with God, hauing a calling of his Father, ſought to glorifie God, ſo let vsus alſo, in word and deed, grorifie God: fie on that fleſhe that will not glorifie God, but will aſcribe any thing to himſelfe; and will ſtand vp, and ſay, I did this or that: fie on thee, that wilt ſay ſo, and wilt not honour him, who hath honoured thee. Beware to ſpeake any thing, that may derogate to the glory of God: and not only in deede, but alſo in word glorifie him: that they who heare you ſpeake, may glorifie God thorow your ſpeach, and by your example.
Now, hauing ſpoken of the ground, we come to the benefite of life euerlaſting it ſelfe: As before wee heard, the glorifying of Ieſus Chriſt ſerued to the glory of the Father; ſo we hauehave now, that the glory of Ieſus ſerueth alſo to our glory: So ye may ſee, of what importance is the glory of Ieſus Chriſt: the faireſt fruites that euer were, follow on that glory: thorow his glory, glory commeth to the Father, and life to the world. The chiefe two things in the worlde, are, The glory of God, and the ſaluation of the Kirke: which both proceede from the glory of Ieſus Chriſt. Life euerlaſting, marke it well, it commeth, and it floweth, of the glorious life of Ieſus Chriſt, when hee roſe from the dead: all our life is by the riſing of Ieſus Chriſt, from death to life. What is this life euerlaſting, or the Spirituall life which wee hauehave? It is but a little ſponke, that floweth from that fulneſſe of that glorious life which Ieſus Chriſt liueth in the Heauens, at the right hande of the Father: And this quickening Spirit, which eueryevery one of vsus receiueth in ſober meaſure, is nothing but a portion of that Spirit of life, which is in Ieſus Chriſt, hat is in him in all ſuperaboundance, and aboue all meaſure. Wee in the Kirke, his members, hauehave the Spirit of life flowing from him in ſome meaſure. Paul, in the 6. Chapter to the Romanes, verſ. 5. hath a notable ſentence concerning this matter, If wee bee planted with him, in the likeneſſe of his death, wee ſhall bee planted with him, in the likeneſſe of his life: meaning, that this mortification of the olde man, commeth by the vertue of the death and Croſſe▪ of Ieſus Chriſt: and this newe life commeth by the vertue of his Reſurrection and life. And in the firſt Epistle to the Corinthians, Chap. 15. verſ. 17. J… Christ had not riſen from the dead, wee had yet lyen ſtill in our ſinnes. So then, wouldeſt thou hauehave one of the chiefe arguments, to knowe whether Chriſt hath died for thee, or not? (if thou knoweſt not this, thou knoweſt nothing:) deſcende downe into thine heart, and ſee if thou findeſt in any meaſure that foule and cankered nature ſlaine into thee, that thou bee dead to ſinne: if thou finde it, thou haſt cauſe to bee blythe, for thou haſt a ſure warrande, that the Lord Ieſus hath died for thee: for if hee had not died for thee, thou hadſt not had anie mortification of ſinne. Then, wouldeſt thou knowe, if the Lord Ieſus hath riſen from the death, (as Paul ſpeaketh,) for thy juſtification? Looke if thou haſt anie part or that ſpirituall life. Woe is to that ſoule, that feeleth no life, no ſpirite, no quickening, &c. for that ſoule hath no warrande, that euer Chriſt roſe, to juſtifie or ſaue it. Therefore, as yee woulde knowe, if Chriſt hath died or riſen for you, looke your warrande: and if yee finde anie mortification, or anie ſenſe of the Spirite, then bee ſure yee hauehave a warrande: But and if thou findeſt it not, ſay not that Chriſt died for thee; thou haſt no warrande of the death and reſurrection of Chriſt for thee. What is this wee are doing? Wee are ſeeking buſilie Charters and Euidentes for Landes, and Liuinges, and earthlie poſſeſsions: but ſeeke a warrande for Landes, and all the worlde, as thou wilt, ſhame ſhall come vponupon thee, if thou wanteſt the warrande of life euerlaſting.
Now in the next verſ. This is life euerlaſting, to know thee to be the only true God, and whome thou haſt ſent, Jeſus Chriſt. In this verſ. (marke it) hee letteth vsus ſee the neceſsitie there is in glorifying of him, if euer ſuch a thing ſhould be, that one who is choſen ſhould be glorified: for hee reaſoneth after this manner, Father, thou knoweſt what, is life, it is a knowledge of thee, and of mee, whom thou haſt ſent: but except I bee glorified, the worlde cannot know thee, nor mee: therefore, Father, except I bee glorified, there is no life for the worlde. So, there is the neceſsitie of the glorifying of Chriſt, to get life euerlaſting; becauſe there cannot be knowledge of God without Chriſt, and except he be glorified. But to conſider theſe wordes more norrowlie, hee ſayeth, This is life, to knowe thee to bee the onelie true God: not onelie to knowe thee to bee God, but to knowe thee to bee the onelie God: that is, to put a difference betwixt thee, and the Idole gods of the Gentiles. This excludeth not the Sonne, and the holie Spirite, but hee reſpecteth the time: for before the comming of CHRIST, the Gentiles were not called, but the worlde was full of Idoles, and men were blinded with errour and ignorance.
Nowe ſee what is life: there are manie that will ſpeake of life euerlaſting, and yet they knowe not what it meaneth. Life euerlaſting ſtandeth in a ſight and in a knowledge: if thou be ignorant, thou ſhalt neuer gette life: It ſtandeth in the light of the mind: thou art full of darkneſſe, and that darkneſſe muſt bee out, and light muſt come in, ere thou getteſt life: But it ſtandeth not in the knowledge of eueryevery thing: many one ſeeketh knowledge: but run where thou wilt to ſeeke knowledge, if thou ſeeſt not him who is the Fountaine of life, from whome all life floweth, thou knoweſt nothing. I meane not of a bare knowledge, for if thou hauehave no more, it ſhall not auaile thee: but with the knowledge, thou muſt hauehave faith in thine heart, to drawe out life out of the Fountaine of life. Who is the Fountaine of life? It is the Father of Ieſus Chriſt, who is the Fountaine of all life: the life which the Sonne himſelfe hath, commeth out of that Fountaine, as Chriſt himſelfe confeſſeth in the fifth Chapter of this Goſpel, The Father hath giuen to the Sonne to hauehave life in himſelfe. Then all the life of the Angels, and all the life of the creatures, and all our life, ſpirituall or naturall, floweth out of that Fountaine. So, except a man or woman get a ſight of the Father, and of the Lord Ieſus, they cannot gette life. Lord! if it bee not a great thing to gette a ſight of him! For, as the Apoſtle ſayth to Timothie, Hee dwelleth in a light that hath none acceſſe. That deepneſſe of light which hee dwelleth in, is wonderfull, yea, incomprehenſible: and there is no knowledge of the Father, without the Sonne: if thou ſeeſt not the Sonne, thou ſhalt neuer ſee the Father, and ſo thou ſhalt neuer ſee life. Awaye with that dreame of the Iewes, and Turkes, &c. that will ſay, they will get a ſight of the Father, without the Sonne: no, no man ſhall ſee him without the Sonne: For why? neuer man ſawe the Father at any time: it is the onelyonly begotten Sonne, who is in the boſome of the Father, who hath reuealed him. Iohn, 1. verſ. 18. Except we gette a ſight of the Sonne, who is the ſplendor of the Father, and the ingrauen forme of his perſon, wee ſhall neuer ſee that glorie. Hebr. 1. verſ. 3. So except wee ſee the Sonne of God, the ſeconde perſon of the glorious Trinitie, there ſhall bee no life for man nor woman in this world. And there is no ſight of that glorious perſon of the Sonne, who dwelleth in that light vnacceſſable: (as hee is God, hee is as incomprehenſible as his Father:) hee is not ſeene, I ſaye, but vnderunder a cloude: wee muſt ſee him thorowe this nature of ours: There is no Angell in Heauen, that dare abide to looke on the Son, but thorow a vaile, and this is the vaile of our fleſhe: if thou takeſt awaye that vaile, the ſight of that Majeſtie ſhall deuour thee: No, if thou gotteſt a ſight of the Sonne of God, without the ſight of his manlie nature, wherein hee died for our ſinnes, and roſe for our juſtification, thou wouldeſt bee deſtroyed, and confounded thereby. But by the contrary, that is the pleaſandeſt ſight that euer thou ſaweſt, when thou ſeeſt that tabernacle of thy nature, that glorious perſon cloathed with the nature of man. The knowledge of Chriſt, muſt be firſt as he is ſent: next, as he is Ieſus: and laſt, as he is Chriſt. His ſending is, as hee is manifeſted in the fleſh. And hee is Ieſus, and Chriſt, as hee is God and man. So wee muſt looke thorowe that vaile of man, and thorowe that tabernacle of our nature, ere wee ſee that glorious Majeſtie: And this is joye and life, and our heauen into this earth.
Yee ſhall marke a notable leſſon of this which I hauehave ſpoken: See howe knowledge goeth vp thorowe to the Father, and ſee by what degrees life commeth downe from the Father. There are the degrees, and order of our knowledge, and howe it paſſeth vp thorowe: Firſt, our eye ſtriketh on the vaile of our nature, wherein that glorious Majeſtie ſitteth. Then, thorowe the vaile, the ſoule pierceth in to that glorious Sonne of God: and then when the ſoule hath gotten that ſight of the Sonne, it paſſeth forwarde to the glorious ſight of the Father, and then our knowledge reſteth there, for it is the Fountaine of life: Faith neuer reſteth, till it come to the Father, and then it reſteth on him, and there is the joye of it. Nowe, looke howe wee gette life: As ſoone as our ſoule commeth to that Fountaine, the Father, that Fountaine breaketh out in liuing waters. Looke the power of Fayth: Fayth breaketh vp that Fountaine, and then ſpirite and life beginneth to flow. Life commeth firſt from the Father, to the Sonne of GOD; and then it commeth from the Sonne, to our nature; and thorowe our nature, that Spirit, and that life, floweth into our ſoules. There is the difference, knowledge beginneth at the nature of man in Chriſt, but life beginneth at the Father. Againe, knowledge paſſeth vp, and life commeth downe from the Father. Well then, if life euerlaſting ſtand in knowledge of GOD in Ieſus Chriſt; then it muſt follow, firſt, as a man or a woman groweth in knowledge, and in fayth, ſo they growe in life euerlaſting: and as they growe in life, ſo they grow in fayth: and in what meaſure thy knowledge is, in that meaſure thy life is: and in what meaſure thy life is, in that meaſure thy fayth is. And when that day ſhall come, when we ſhall ſee the Lord Ieſus face to face, as our knowledge ſhall be perfected, ſo ſhall our life and joye: and, in one word, our Heauen ſhall be perfected. The perfection of life euerlaſting▪ and knowledge, ſtandeth in the ſight of the face of Ieſus Chriſt. And if our life euerlaſting ſtand in knowledge, then death euerlaſting ſtandeth in ignorance: and where there is ignorance of God in Ieſus Chriſt, there death taketh place, and their Hell is begunne here: and that darkneſſe which is in thy ſoule, ſhall bee turned into vtter darkneſſe: and the more ignorant thou bee of God in Ieſus Chriſt, the greater ſhall thy damnation bee. Paul to the Epheſ. Chap. 4. verſ. 18. joyneth theſe two together, ſpeaking of the Gentiles, and their eſtate, before Chriſt came into the worlde, ſayeth hee, they had their mindes darkened, with a cloude of ignorance, and they were aliantes from the life of God: Meaning, that when as ignorance reigned amongſt the Gentiles, they were all caſten out from the light of Heauen. Where there is nothing but darkneſſe, there is not a ſponke of the life of Chriſt there. Though thou wereſt a King, and haſt but a naturall life, I count thee worſe than a Dogge: howbeit thou canſt paſſe the time, and hunt and haulke, and eate thy meate, &c. thou art deader than a Carrion.
Seeing then life ſtandeth in the ſight of God, through Ieſus Chriſt, and ſeeing death ſtandeth in the ignorance of the ſoule, this ſhoulde bee our care night and daye, to warble thorowe that cloude of darkneſſe, which hideth vsus from that Sonne of God, and …o get away this foule vaile: for if it be not put away, it groweth aye till it come to an hard ſcroofe. There is no ſtanding for thee, but thou ſhalt either grow in light, or in darkneſſe. This ſhould be our care, to put awaye darkneſſe, and get light. Wee ſhould aye labour to caſt off this vaile, vnderunder the which wee lie, till the Lord deliuer vsus fully from that blindneſſe of the minde, which is a blacke and cloudy couering. The way to bee fredde of this, is to holde vp thine eye, to gette a ſight of the face of Ieſus Chriſt: In the face of Ieſus thou ſeeſt the glory of the Father: Knoweſt thou how thou ſhalt gette it in this life? Seeke it in the worde: All the ſight that we hauehave here, is but in a mirrour, and by an aenigma, (as th'Apoſtle ſayth) or by a parable, in reſpect of the ſight which wee ſhall hauehave in the life to come: And this mirrour is the glorious Goſpel. To end in a worde: As thou wouldeſt ſee Ieſus, and bee quite of darkneſſe: as thou wouldeſt hauehave life, and be quite of death, ſet thine heart to heare the Goſpel of Ieſus Chriſt; that is the only way for thee to gette a ſight of him in this life. Striue to heare this worde preached: Ye ſhall hauehave Chriſt crucified in the Goſpel, and Chriſt glorified in the Goſpel: And begin once to take pleaſure in hearing, and I ſhall promiſe thee, in the Name of God, Heauen and Earth, and all ſhall goe together, ere thou getteſt not light, and conſequently Heauen in this life: otherwayes, I giuegive thee ouer.
Now, ſeeing Chriſt is our light, and our life, the Lord giuegive vsus grace to take heed to him in the mirrour of his word, and to take a delite in it, that we may get this blacke darkneſſe of the ſoule put away, and get a ſight of God, through Ieſus Chriſt: To whom, with the Father, and the holy Ghoſt, be all honour, and prayſe, for euermore.
AMEN.