Twenty-Five Lectures Upon the Lords Last Sermon and Conference, Lecture 1
THE FIRST LECTVRE, OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION.
IOHN, CHAP. xiiii. VERS. 1.2.
LEt not your heart bee troubled: yee belieue in God, belieue alſo in mee.
2 Jn my Fathers houſe are many dwelling places: if it were not ſo, J would hauehave told you: I goe to preparé a place for you.
IN the CHAPTER immediately going before (Brethren) the LORD fore-warned his Diſciples of his departure, and taking away of his bodily preſence out of the world: that moued his Diſciples exceedingly; for they had no will hee ſhould goe from them: Therefore the Lord in this, and in the next two CHAPT. continueth in ſpeaking to his Diſciples, to comfort and confirme them after his departure, and taking away of his bodily preſence from them. And in the beginning of this CHAPTER hee layeth downe the propoſition of this comfort: Let not your heart bee troubled: Thereafter hee ſubjoyneth ſure argumentes to comfort, ſtrengthen, an I confirme them when hee ſhould goe away: Hee ſaith, Let not your hearts be troubled: knowing well, that when hee ſhould depart, they ſhould be like as many Lambs among Wolues in the middeſt of this wicked world; and ſo they would be troubled in mind when he ſhould go away: therefore the LORD warneth them before his departure, that their hearts ſhould not be troubled. The Diſciples faile in this, that they thought that if the LORD had taken away his body, and ſhould abſent himſelfe out of their eyes, they ſhould hauehave no more comfort nor grace of him. Ye ſee the Leſſon ariſeth here of their example: As the preſence of the LORD IESVS▪ miniſtreth joye, peace, …nd tranquillitie to the heart of the ſinner, euen ſo when he draweth away his preſence from a ſinner, from a miſerable creature, then there is no joye, no comfort, no peace, no reſt to the heart. It may be indeed, and it cōmeth oft to paſſe, that men and women will be lullud vp in a carnall ſecurity, deliting themſelues in the vain pleaſures & comforts of this world, in eating and drinking, &c. It may be, ſome be occupied, they will hauehave a quite life, they will lie downe, and ſleepe quietly, they will riſe, and be wanton: but in very trueth, they hauehave no true peace, if they finde not the Lord Ieſus preſent in their heart when they lie downe, and when they riſe: howbeit they had all the worlde, they hauehave no peace: (No peace to the wicked, ſaith the Lord, Eſay. 57.21.) Howbeit they ſeeme to hauehave peace, they hauehave none: As for the godly, that hauehave once founde his preſence, and hauehave once taſted of that joye which is in his face, of that light which commeth from his face, and once he be taken from them, giuegive them all this world, and all the pleaſures of this worlde, they ſhall hauehave no pleaſure, they will neuer bee blythe, till they get a ſight of their Lord, their ſoule dieth without his face: and when he commeth againe, it quickeneth, and liueth. This is the true joye: thinke neuer yee hauehave true reſt without the countenance of the Lord, without the which all the pleaſures and comforts of the world are but vaine: for all ſhall leaue you, and ye with them ſhall periſh. No queſtion the Diſciples, when they began to feele that joye which they founde in his preſence, rather than they had wanted his company, they would hauehave wanted all the world.
Now when he hath ſet downe this propoſition of comfort, hee leaueth them not ſo: but knowing well, how harde a thing it was to a comfortleſſe heart, to receiue comfort, he ſubjoyneth ſundrie arguments and reaſons, to hold them in a good courage and comfort: And firſt he saith, Yee belieue in God, belieue alſo in mee. There is an argument wherefore they ſhould not bee troubled: The firſt comfort hee miniſtreth to their comfortleſſe heartes, is Fayth in Chriſt: The meaning is, Howbeit when I goe away, yee ſhall not ſee me, yet ſettle your hearts vponupon me, follow me with the eye of your ſoule, and looke afarre off to the Heauen, and looke that ye reſt and repoſe vponupon mee by a true and liuely faith. Well then, yee ſee the firſt remedie againſt the taking away of the Lorde Ieſus, and withdrawing …f his bodily preſence, is faith in him: howbeit he were neuer ſo farre away, let thy ſoule goe thorow the clouds and take holde on the Lord Ieſus, where hee ſitteth at the right hand of God his Father: ſticke till him, bee ſure of him, gripe him by the hand of faith, and then in the middeſt of all the confuſions of this world, which ye ſee now fall out in theſe latter dayes, thou ſhalt get comfort and eaſe to thy ſoule, and it ſhall bee holden vp among all troubles of this world: For why, this is the nature of faith in Chriſt, it will make things abſent to be preſent: As the Apoſtle ſaith to the Heb. 11.1. It maketh things hoped for, to be preſent with vsus: it will let thee ſee that felicity, that life, that glorie, which is laide vp in the Heauens for thee, which we cannot ſee with the eyes of our mortall bodies, ſo long as we are here: Then ſo long as thou art abſent from him, belieue in him, that thou maye…t finde euer comfort, till thy faith bee turned in ſight: and then thou ſhalt find, that both ſight of the ſoule, & the ſight of the body, into the Heauens, ſhall be perfected: then we ſhall ſee that clearly, which we ſaw before obſcurely: and wee ſhall ſee him no ſooner, but our joy ſhall be full, and wee ſhall bee into his glory with him: and as his face ſhineth, ſo ſhall ours ſhine alſo. So ye ſee, the chiefe thing that holdeth vsus vp in all troubles of this world, is the blinke we hauehave of Chriſt by faith.
Nowe hee proponeth not this argument barely, but by way of compariſon: for he ſaith, as Ye belieue in God, ſo belieue in me: for as he ſaid, I and the Father am one: howbeit the Father and the Sonne be ſundry perſons, yet they are but one bleſſed Majeſty, one God, in one nature, and one ſubſtance: faith in one of them, prejudgeth not another: as thou belieueſt in the Father, ſo belieue in the Son, ſo belieue in the holy Ghoſt, becauſe they are one in nature and ſubſtance: they are coeſſentiall, coequall, & coeternall: if the Father and the Sonne were different in ſubſtance, ſo that the Father were one God, and the Sonne another, then in very deede faith in the one, would prejudge the other: for why, faith in the heart cannot leane on two things, or vponupon two Gods, or three. So that we note here, that faith muſt bee on one thing only: if thou wilt put thy truſt in any thing in this worlde, on riches, or honour, &c. it ſhall paſſe thy power to belieue in God: if thou make many Gods, it ſhall paſſe thy power to put thy truſt in them all: and it were no more but this, that faith muſt be grounded on one only, it is a ſufficient argument to beare thee witneſſe, that there is but one God in ſubſtance, the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghoſt: So it is no prejudice to the Father, that wee belieue in the Sonne: yea, I ſay more, there is no fayth in the Father, but thorowe the Sonne: And if thy fayth reach not thorow the Sonne, and thorow the nature of man in him, it ſhall paſſe thy power to belieue in the Father; for God dwelleth in a light without acceſſe: no creature can come there: no, not the Angels, without the Sonne: there is no ſight of that Majeſtie, but in the Sonne, the LORD IESVS. Men trowes, the Iewes trowes, to get a ſight of that Father, and to pierce the cloudes without the Sonne: No, there is no ſight of him without Chriſt Ieſus, and him crucified: for in him only ſhineth the glorie, juſtice, mercy, and power of his Father; becauſe he is the Image of the Father and the in-grauen forme of his perſon. So, wouldeſt thou belieue in God, thou muſt paſſe thorow the Sonne to the Father. This is the trueth: ſearch and ſee, if it can bee poſsible to thee to get any grip of God, or if thou canſt get any joy, without Ieſus: No, thou canſt not: but when thou apprehendeſt Ieſus Chriſt, thou pierceſt in to that light, and taſteſt of that joye. This is the way to belieue in God.
The next argument he vſeth to comfort them when hee ſhould depart, is this, Jn my Fathers Houſe are many dwelling places: if it were not ſo, I would hauehave tolde you: I would not lie to you: and now, ſaith he, I goe to prepare a place for you: As though the Lord would ſay, Be not troubled at my departure; for why, my departure is for your weale: my departure is to prepare a place in Heauen for you: and if I go not before you, ye can hauehave no place there intill. There was neuer yet ſince the beginning of the world, and since the fall of Adam, man, or woman, that euer entered into Heauen, or ſhall enter there, and get a place there, but by the vertue of the Aſcenſion of Ieſus Chriſt: The Fathers, Adam, Abraham, Iſaac, and Iaakob, neuer one of them entered into Heauen, but by vertue of his Aſcenſion: and neuer one ſhall enter at that great day, but by vertue of his Aſcenſion. Looke how we ſhould belieue that Article of our Creede, the Aſcenſion of the Lord Ieſus. Before the Lord Ieſus came into the world, in the nature of man, all the Fathers, that liued before him, from the beginning of the worlde, after they departed this life, came to Heauen onelyonly by vertue of the Aſcenſion of Chriſt. It is true, their ſoules went to Heauen immediately: the ſoules of Abraham, Iſaac, and Iaakob, went to Heauen immediatlie: But how? By the vertue of Ieſus Chriſt, that was to come in the fleſh, and by the vertue of his Aſcenſion that was to come. What euer the good they got, they got it all thorow him that was to come: their ſoules went vp to the Heauen by fayth in him that was to come: As for vsus, who liue now in this worlde, after his manifeſtation, neuer one of vsus goeth to Heauen, or ſeeth him, or getteth any place in Heauen, but by vertue of his glorious Aſcenſion, paſt already; as the Fathers got entry into Heauen, by vertue of his Aſcenſion to come: What euer grace hath bene, and what euer ſhall come into the world, all hath bene thorow Ieſus Chriſt. There is a difference here to be vnderstood, betwixt the meaſure of grace the Fathers got before the Aſcenſion, and the grace wee get now ſince the manifeſtation of Ieſus Chriſt: Wee hauehave a great vantage of theſe Fathers; all the grace they got, was by vertue of Chriſt to come: but wee get grace by vertue of Chriſt already come: The vertue of him before his comming, was not ſo great as it was at his comming, and after he paſſed vp to Heauen. Why ſhould wee hauehave ſuch a benefite, and not knowe it? Albeit the ſoules of mea went vp to Heauen before his comming, yet not ſo many as nowe goe ſince hee came, and ſince hee hath taken place in Heauen himſelfe: before there were but few got entry into Heauen: there was but a little doore of Heauen open, the great multitude got not entry there: Therefore the Apoſtle (Hebr. 9.8.) ſaieth, So long as that olde Tabernacle ſtoode, the waye to the Sanctuary was not open: But nowe, what grace, what mercy is ſhowne to vsus, that are borne ſince the comming of Chriſt, if wee get a ſight of him? But woe to vsus, if we belieue not! The vertue of his comming into the world, hath a thouſand times greater force to open Heauen, than of before: Nowe all the yates of Heauen, ſince hee aſcended, ſtand wide open: and ſo the Lord ſaith, Violence is come to the Heauen, and it is violently reaft vp, Matth. 11.12. As hee would ſay, Whereas few entered into the Heauen before, nowe they ruſh in, ſince the Lord Ieſus is come, and the yates ſhall ſtand vp aye and till the multitude of ſoules and bodies ſhall enter in. Seeing wee hauehave this grace, therefore, miſerable is the man who would not enter in, when the yates are open, and patent to let him in: and well is that ſoule, that will enter there. But yee will ſay, Why is there not entry into Heauen, but by the vertue of Ieſus Chriſt? I thinke ye would know the reaſon of this: There is none that can enter into Heauen, but with an offering of blood: Heauen is won by blood: It is vnpoſſible for a ſinner to enter into Heauen, but by a Sacrifice. So there is no remiſsion of ſinne, but by ſhedding of blood, Hebr. 9.22. The hight Prieſt of olde, who was a Type of Chriſt, durſt not enter into the earthly Sanctuary, which was a figure of Heauen, where the glorious Arke was, but with a Sacrifice, with an offering and blood; otherwiſe he would hauehave bene ſtriken to death. This meaned, there is none entry to the Heauen, to that Sanctuary which is not made with mens handes, but by the Sonne of God himſelfe, and by his blood and ſacrifice. And why? Becauſe the wrath of God is againſt ſinners; & that wrath cannot bee ſatisfied, but by blood: his mercy cannot prejudge his juſtice. This ground being laid, The Lord Ieſus entereth into Heauen by blood: hee entereth not there without a Sacrifice: hee taketh the moſt precious ſacrifice that euer was in the world: hee entered not with the blood of beaſts, but with his own precious blood: he carried there his owne bloody wounds: and that blood ſlokned that burning wrath: So that ſo ſoone as that juſtice findeth that blood, the juſtice is ſatisfied, & then there is place to mercy. So it followeth, there is no entry to Heauen, but by the Lord Ieſus, & his blood: and as he entered into Heauen by his own blood, ſo there is neuer one of vsus, man or woman, ſhall enter into Heauē, except we carry with vsus that blood: if thou wilt go into Heauē, be ſprinkled with that blood, or elſe the wrath of God ſhall burne thee vp. But how ſhalt thou get this? By faith in him, that hath gone before thee with his blood, that ſhall prepare for thee a rowm, & thou ſhalt follow thy Head. So yee ſee, how needfull it is to belieue in Chriſt, if we would get entry into Heauē: it was not for his own cauſe he entred into Heauen, but for vsus: he paſſed with his blood before vsus, to get vsus an entry. Before he lay down the argument, he layes downe the ground ther…f, In my Fathers houſe are many dwelling places, & I go to prepare them. Brethren, Heauen is a very faire place, & there …re many dwelling places into it, there is great honour into it. What is Heauen, but the glory of God? Whereto go we to Heauen, but that we may be partakers of that glory? who now without Chriſt are depriued of the glory of God. Who is able to meaſure his glory? for he is infinit, he dwelleth into a light, wherto there is no acceſſe: And as the glory of God is infinit, ſo there are infinit dwelling places in Heauen: Before the Aſcention of Chriſt, there were rowms enough, but they were al vnprepared, & cloſed vp til he entred. By vertue of his Aſcenſion, al the yates were dong vp. Then what good doth th' Aſcenſion of Chriſt? It opens all the doors of Heauen to vsus: there are dwelling places in Heauē for a thousād worlds, for infinit worlds, mo worlds than tong can tell: There is no ſcarcity in Heauē, but as the glory of God is there, & is infinit, & can neuer be contained, ſo there are infinit places: I ſay more, the Aſcenſion of Ieſus Chriſt vp to Heauen, is of ſuch force, that it is able to prepare a place for a thouſād worlds, & for eueryevery reprobat. What is then the cauſe, that eueryevery one goes not to Heauē, ſeeing the Heauēs are able to contain ſo many? There are many called (ſaith the Lord) but few elect. What is the cauſe of this? What is it, but this, No want of Manſions, there is no want in Ieſus Chriſt: but the cauſe is in men & women, who want faith in Ieſus Chriſt. Who euer hath faith, they goe in: and who wants it, albeit there be many Māſions there, yet there is none for them: Whē thou heareſt there are ſo many dwelling places in Heauen, ſay with thy ſelfe, Lord, prepare mee for grace, as grace is prepared for me: &, Lord, giuegive me faith into this blood, that I, by vertue therof, may hauehave a place in Heauē. Striue therfore rather to throng in, & to hauehave a part of that life, than to hauehave all the commodities of the world: for if thou haſt not this, all the cōmodities of the world ſhall go away, & thou ſhalt be ſhot in Hell: No, ſtriue rather to get a part of that inheritāce, & it were the leaſt Manſion, than the whole earth: for there is more joye there, than in all the world. Hee ſaieth, And it were otherwiſe, J would hauehave tolde you. As hee would ſay, I am not boune to beguile you, and feed you with faire wordes: and there were not many dwelling places in my Fathers houſe, I would hauehave told you: the promiſe of the Lord Ieſus, is not like the promiſe of the world: for men will promiſe mountaines of gold: All men, of all eſtates, yea Princes, are liars: but the Lord Ieſus will promiſe nothing, but that which he will performe. There was neuer such promiſe made, as the Lorde Ieſus made: Looke how he ſpeaket… of the joy of Heauen, and of that immortall inheritance: think…ſt thou he beguileth thee? No, no, thinke not so: for and it were n… …o, the Lorde would neuer hauehave ſpoken ſo of it to thee: thou ſhalt find it ſo▪ thou ſhalt ſee it with thine eys: there is none that belieueth, but th…y ſhall find in experience the trueth of that promiſe: There was neuer a faithfull ſoule yet, who departed, as Abraham, Iſaac, and Iaakob, &c. but they now find that joy which was promiſed them in this world: Yea, more, yee ſhall finde more than euer was ſpoken of. All the words of the world, cannot expreſſe the greatneſſe of that joy in Heauen: yea, all the words in the worlde, cannot expreſſe the thouſand part of that ioye. As the Queene of Saba, when ſhe heard the wordes of Solomon, and ſaw his pompe, ſhe began to cōmend them, & ſaid, It was a true word that I heard in mine own land of thy ſayings, & of thy wiſdome: but lo, the one halfe was not told me, for thou haſt more than I heard by report: Euen ſo, belieue all theſe reports, and thou ſhalt find greater things in Heauen, than any thou heardeſt tell of in the world: thou ſhalt wonder at them. It is true that the Apoſtle ſaith, 1 Cor. 2.9. The eye of man hath not ſeene, nor the eare of man h…ard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, touching the things which the Lord hath laide vp for them who louelove him. Hope for greater things, and belieue greater thinges, than thou canſt feele: Hope for infinite glory, (thou canſt not hope enough,) and thou ſhalt finde in that great day greater joye than euer thou hopedſt for, & that, through Ieſus Chriſt: To whom, with the Father, and the holy Spirit, be all praiſe, honour, and glory, for euermore. Amen.