Twenty-Five Lectures Upon the Lords Last Sermon and Conference, Lecture 3
THE THIRD LECTVRE, OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION.
IOHN, CHAP. xiiii. VERS. 7.8.9.10.
7 Jf yee had knowne mee, yee ſhould hauehave knowne my Father alſo: and from hencefoorth yee know him, and hauehave ſeene him.
8 Philip ſaid vntounto him, Lord, ſhew vsus thy Father, and it ſufficeth vsus.
9 Ieſus ſaid vntounto him, J hauehave beene ſo long time with you, and hast thou not knowne mee, Philip? Hee that hath ſeene mee, hath ſeene the Father: how then ſayeſt th…u, Shew vsus thy Father?
10 Belieueſt thou not, that J am in the Father, and the Father is in mee? The wordes that I ſpeake vntounto you, I ſpeake not of my ſelfe: but the Father that dwelleth in mee, hee doeth the workes.
YEE heard (Welbeloued in the Lord Ieſus) among the reſt of the comforts that the Lord furniſhed to his Diſciples, that they ſhould not bee troubled, when hee ſhould depart, this was one, and the laſt, Yee knowe the place whither I am to goe firſt, and where yee are to goe next in your time: and alſo yee knowe the waye: Therefore, woulde hee ſaye, comfort your ſelues with this knowledge, while I come againe, and take you to that place. VponUpon this laſt argument, the conference falleth out betwixt Chriſt and his Diſciples: and firſt Thomas, one of his Diſciples, ſpeaketh, and vttereth, as it were, a contradiction to the worde of the Lord: Wee know not the place where thou art to goe, ſayeth hee, and howe then can wee knowe the waye? VponUpon this ſpeach of Thomas▪ the …ord taketh occaſion to inſtruct Thomas, and the reſt, in theſe pointes whereof they were ignorant, concerning the place where hee was to goe, and concerning the waye: and firſt hee pointeth out the waye vntounto them: hee pointeth the waye to bee Himſelfe: I am the Waye, the Veritie, and the L…fe: In a worde, the waye to Heauen, and the waye to the Father is the Lord Ieſus, and that becauſe hee is the Trueth and Veritie, and becauſe hee is the Life: Therefore, all who would hauehave acceſſe to Heauen, muſt enter in by the Lord Ieſus firſt, as he is Veritie: and then as hee is Life, they muſt belieue that the Lord Ieſus, the Sonne of God, is Trueth and Life it ſelfe, and that all our life ſpirituall floweth from him, as from a Fountaine: and we belieue not theſe two, let vsus neuer looke to ſee Heauen. Then hee ſayeth, Except they enter in by this way, they ſhall neuer come to the Father: and thou goe in by another by-path, beſides the Lorde Ieſus, thou ſhalt neuer ſee Heauen with thine eyes: This is thy doome. No man, from the King to the Beggar, ſhall come to the Father, but by him. Now, when he hath pointed out the way, then hee beginneth, and inſtructeth Thomas, and the reſt, concerning the place where hee was to goe: and theſe inſtructions are giuen by way of reproofe. Hee findeth fault with Thomas, and the reſt, that being ſo long with him, they knew not the Father: they might hauehave knowne the Father, in him: for they who ſee the Sonne, may perceiue in him the Father: If, ſaith hee, yee had knowne me, ye ſhould hauehave knowne my Father alſo. As he would ſay, Ye neuer knew me, becauſe ye know not the Father. There is a neceſsitie that is laide on eueryevery ſoule that commeth into this world, if euer they would hauehave joy in this worlde, and if euer they would dwell in Heauen, that the creature knowe the glorious Creator. Thou muſt know God, if euer thou wouldeſt dwell with him. Thou muſt know God, not only the Creator, but alſo the Redeemer of the loſt world: This neceſsity and burden is laide vponupon our backe: wee are ſtraited to knowe God the Father, for heerein ſtandeth our felicit…i.
Now, Brethren, it is an hard thing to get a ſight of that Majeſtie: The Lord dwelleth in a light that hath none acceſſe. 1 Tim. 6.16. Neuer man ſaw him, Paul ſayth. He is a God that cannot bee ſeene; the eye of the creature, cannot be able to look vponupon that paſſing glory. So it is an hard thing to ſee God, & to know him: therfore, let neither man nor woman, who preaſſeth to get a ſight of God, ſtriue to pierce immediately thorowe that light. Then, howe ſhall wee ſee him? The Lord perceiuing our infirmity, hath prepared a way: wee founde it not out, but the Lord hath found it out. What is the waye to ſee the Lorde, in his infinite juſtice, power, wiſedome, glory, and chiefely, in his mercy? And thou ſee him not in his mercy, all is but in vaine; and thou ſeeſt nothing, howbeit thou ſhouldeſt ſee all the worlde.) The Lord hath found out the meane: The Lord Ieſus, his owne Sonne, his owne Image, repreſenteth vntounto vsus all the glorie of his Father: and hee is the Image of the inuiſible God, the ſplendor of his glorie, and the imprinted marke of his perſon. Col. 1.15. and Heb. 1.3. The Lord hath ordained▪ that in the Son, euen in the nature of man, & humbled in the fleſh, wee ſhould ſee that glory. And this is the ende, wherfore the Lord Ieſus came into the world: euen that we might ſee the glory of the Father in him. This is ſo true, that hee who ſeeth the Sonne, ſeeth alſo the Father: that when in the Goſpel thou heareſt and ſeeſt Ieſus Chriſt, humbled and glorified, except in him thou ſee the Father, his nature, his juſtice, his power, his wiſedome, and his merciemercy, thou canſt not bee ſaide to hauehave a ſufficient knowledge of the Sonne himſelfe: for hee himſelfe ſayeth heere, If ye had knowne me, yee ſhould hauehave knowne my Father alſo. Then he ſaith by way of correction, No, ſaith he, Thomas, thou knoweſt the Father, and ſo I ſpeake of the reſt and thou haſt ſeene him: ſay what thou wilt ſay▪ there is the meaning. VponUpon this ſpeach two things ariſe: The firſt, the Apoſtles & diſciples of Ieſus Chriſt, they knew the Father▪ The ſecōd, they wiſt not that they knew him. How can theſe two ſtand? They knew him, and ſaw him: for Iohn ſaith, We ſaw him vvith our eyes: but they vviſt it not. What is the grounde of this ignorance, that ſeeing the Sonne, they knewe the Father, and yet they wiſt it not? It riſeth on this, they were ignorant, that the Father and the Sonne, were one in ſubſtance, eſſence, glory and Majeſty: And howbeit they ſawe the Father, and and the glory of God in the Sonne, yet being ignorant of this ground, they wiſt not, that they knew the Father.
Nowe, Brethren, as concerning this, ſeeing there is no ſolide comfort nor reſt in the heart, but in the ſight of God, keepe this ſight night and day, and ſleepe on it, for it vvill bee a blacke vvakening, and vve reſt not on him: Wee may vvell reſt on theſe pleaſures, on theſe Kingdomes, &c. but yet miſerable ſhall be thy vvakening: vvhen the ſoule ſhall bee taken from the body, it ſhall tell thee, that there is no reſt, but in him: and thou ſhalt curſe the time that euer thou reſtedſt on any thing in the world. There is no joy, but in the ſight of God. Next, except a man or woman knowe God to bee God, vvhen they ſee his power and verity to appeare in the world, & aboue all things, his mercy to ſinners: except they take vp God in theſe thinges, and chiefely in his mercy: except they knowe him to be God, they vvill neuer hauehave ſolide comfort. (A man vvho hath bene out of his Fathers ſight long, vvhen hee ſeeth him, and knoweth him not, he vvill hauehave no comfort.) But then vvhen vvee ſee him, and knowe him to bee our mercifull Father, there is our joye. When the ſinner ſeeth God in Ieſus Chriſt, and knoweth him to bee his Father, there is the chiefe joye. But how ſhall we come to the knowledge of this? We muſt know firſt of all, that the Sonne is the ſplendor of his Father: (thou vvilt get no acceſſe to the Father, but by the Sonne:) and therefore, ſeeing the glory of the Father ſhineth in the Sonne, vvhen thou commeſt to heare the Lord Ieſus preached, ſay thus, In the Lorde Ieſus, vvhoſe Euangel I am to heare, I ſhal ſee the glory of the Father: And vvhen euer ye heare the Euangel, ſtriue to get that ſight of the Father, through the Sonne: and then thine heart ſhall get exceeding joy into it. This muſt eueryevery one of vsus doe, if vve vvould goe to Heauen.
When Thomas hath ſpoken, and the Lord hath anſwered him, another of the Diſciples ſpake: for they vvere ignorant, till the Lordes reſurrection. Philip ſpeaketh next, Lord, ſaith he, once ſhew vſus the Father: As he vvould ſay, Once let vsus ſee him, and vve ſhall be contented. Marke, in this queſtion there is one thing commendable, and another thing diſcommendable: not that there is any good in vsus: there is aye a piece of imperfection in the beſt of vsus all. Then, that which in Philip is to be commended, is this: that hee hath a deſire to ſee God: one of the greateſt graces that euer was: for Chriſt ſayeth, (Matth. 5.6.) Bleſſed are they that hunger and thirſt for righteouſneſſe. Woe to that ſoule, that neither hath ſeene the Father, neither yet hath any deſire to ſee him. Another thing is commendable: Hee thought, if once he could get a ſight of God, hee woulde bee contented. Indeede, the onelyonly contentment that man or woman hath in this world, is into the ſight of God: All the thinges in the worlde, will not giuegive a contentation to the ſoule: but the more thou haſt of an earthly thing, as Riches, Honour, and pleaſure, the more euer ſhalt thou craue: But and once thou ſeeſt the face of God, in the which there is ſatietie of all joye, there ſhalt thou finde full reſt to thy ſoule, and thou ſhalt hauehave ſuch a joye and contentation, that thou ſhalt craue no more: for all fulneſſe is in his face, and hee filleth the creature with the beames of his glory. And this Philip ſpeaketh: Wee ſhall then bee contented, getting a ſight of that glorious Majeſtie.
There are other thinges diſcommendable: Hee vttereth a great ignorance, euen of this grounde, That the Sonne is the Image of the Father: The Sonne and the Father are but one in nature, eſſence, and Majeſtie. He misknew this ground, without the which there is no comfort. There is another thing diſcommendable in him: Chriſt was inſtructing them in this grounde, and hee vttereth a dulneſſe in the meane time, as if Chriſt had not ſpoken one worde: Theſe are two faultes: Ignorance is a fault, and the ignorance of God chiefly: And their dulneſſe and ſtupidity of heart is another fault, whereby men and women are ſo ſenſeleſſe and blockiſh, that they are neyther moued with the thing that they heare, nor able to conceiue the ſame: as for the firſt, and thou ſhouldeſt knowe all the worlde, and misknowe God, thou haſt no knowledge. Paul, (Philipp. 3.) profeſſeth, he would misknow all the thinges in the worlde, for the knowledge of that eminence of Chriſt: Hee was a great Scholler, and a wiſe man: yet in reſpect of that knowledge of Chriſt, hee counted all but dammage: yea, hee counted all but dirt: but hee calleth it, Eminence, becauſe it ſurmounteth all the knowledge in the worlde: it reacheth farther than Heauen: yea, aboue the thirde Heauen. So ignorance is an euill thing: and ignorance of God, is the worſt thing in the world: It is not ſo great a miſerie, to bee in a darke pitte, as to bee wrapped in ſuch darkneſſe, that they cannot ſee the Lorde Ieſus. If an ignorant creature, who knoweth nothing of the Creator, hauehave a deſire, and an hunger, and thirſt, to bee fred out of that pit of ignorance, there is grace: and it muſt followe of neceſsitie, that that creature, who faine woulde knowe the Lorde Ieſus, muſt get knowledge: the Lorde ſhall drawe him out of that darkneſſe, which is the beginning of Hell. Chriſt ſayeth, They who hunger and thirſt for righteouſneſſe, ſhall bee filled. Bleſſed are they who hunger for God, for of neceſsitie that creature muſt bee filled: And on the other parte, a man, or a woman, who knoweth not God, and then in the meane time hath no deſire to knowe God: (as, alace, ouer manie there bee, who deſire not to knowe God, as if there were no Heauen nor Hell after this life:) It is a ſure token, they will bee caſten into vtter darkneſſe, a worlde of all miſerie.
If there be anie of you who is ignorant, and hath no deſire to be fredde thereof, I ſay to you, and yee continue ſo, and die ſo, your ſoule ſhall goe to that darkneſſe of Hell. If anie bodie bee in darkeneſſe, and taketh a delectation therein, and if hee were a King, Emperour, or Monarch: howbeeit hee had all the knowledge in the worlde, hee is but a miſerable catiue: For what is all the wiſedome of this worlde, without the knowledge of IESVS CHRIST? But meere follie: And the LORD ſhall make that wiſedome, which the Great men of this Lande count much of, to be a ſnare to trappe them into: All the thinges that they hauehave, and the fauour of men, ſhall not ſaue them from judgement, becauſe of the ignorance of IESVS CHRIST.
So yee ſee in Philip what was commendable, and what was diſcommendable: If wee bee in ignorance, let vsus deſire to bee fredde from it: And if wee bee dull and ſenſeleſſe, let vsus bee carefull to vnderſtande the worde of the LORD: Let vsus laye it vp in our heart, and meditate on it day and night, with prayer to GOD, to giuegive vsus vnderſtanding heartes: for to him that knocketh, it ſhall bee opened.
Nowe the LORDE anſwereth to Philip: Indeede, conſidering howe hee had inſtructed them from the beginning, He might hauehave reproued him, and ſaid, I hauehave inſtructed you, and as I perceiue, yee hauehave profited nothing. But the Lord yet tyreth not, nor caſteth them not off: but teacheth them vvith patience, and vvith lenity, becauſe he knew vvhat vvas in man. There is not a Teacher, vvho is vnperfect in himſelfe, vvho vvill teach vvith ſuch lenity, as the Lord did, vvho had no ignorance in him, but the fulneſſe of all knowledge. He leaueth his example to bee followed, that all Teachers may teach vvith lenity after him. So Paul biddeth Timothie, being a young man, teach vvith lenity, 2. Timoth. 4.2. It vvas not for nothing, he… bore vvith them▪ but that they ſhould beare vvith others afterward, when they ſhould teach others: for they vvho feele the hardneſſe and dulneſſe of nature beſt, they hauehave greateſt compaſſion vponupon others. The doctrine he vſeth, is by vvay of rebuke: and it is but a gentle rebuke: for hee sayth, How ſayest thou, Shew vsus the Father? As if hee vvould ſay, How is this, Philip, that thou ſayſt, Shew me the Father? He is not content vvith this, but hee rebuketh and teacheth Philip, in the grounds of the knowledge of God: and he ſayth, He who knoweth me, and ſeeth mee, hee ſeeth the Father: but ſo it is thou ſeeſt mee; it is a ſhame to thee, to misken me: therefore how askeſt thou at mee, Shew me the Father? Yet he ſayth, Belieueſt thou not, Philip, that the Father is in mee, and J in him? One in eſſence, glory, and Majeſty, howbeit diuerſe in perſons: Philip, belieueſt thou not, that I am the ſplendor of his glory? For hee is the expreſſe forme, of him vvho cannot bee ſeene. Therefore, vvouldeſt thou ſee the Father, to thy comfort, that thou mayeſt be tranſchanged to the like glorie? (Wee may ſee men, yea, Kings, in glory, and vve vvill get none of it: but vvhen we ſee that Maieſty, the beames that ſtrike on vsus, ſhall tranſchange vsus.) So, I ſaye, vvouldeſt thou ſee thy felicity, vvouldeſt thou ſee God? and as thou vvouldeſt deſire to liue, thou muſt deſire to ſee him: then preaſſe to get a ſight of the Son: looke that thou paſſe not by him. Wilt thou doe as the Iew does? The Iewes got not a ſight of him, becauſe they paſſed by the Meſſias. So let all thy trauell be, to get the Lord Ieſus: But ye vvill ſay, The Diſciples might eaſily ſee him, becauſe hee vvas vvith them bodily and ſenſibly: but howe can I ſee him? I anſwere, There are two kindes of ſights; the one is the Spirituall ſight, of the eye of the ſoule, vvhichwhich vve call Fayth, vvhen thou heareſt the glorious Euangel of Ieſus, and beliueſt into it: The other ſight is vvith …hy bodily eyes: and thou vvho ſeeſt him heere vvith the eye of the ſoule, by fayth, thou ſhalt ſee him hereafter, vvith thy bodily eyes. Then vvee muſt not be ſo groſſe, as to thinke, except vvee ſee the Lord Ieſus vvith the eyes of the body▪ that vvee get no ſight of him: for the ſight vve hauehave vvith the eye of fayth, is a precious ſight: and this ſight maketh his members here to louelove him exceedingly. Iohn, 20.29. hee ſayth, Thomas, becauſe thou haſt ſeene mee, thou belieueſt: but bleſſed ſhall they bee, vvho hath not ſeene mee, and yet belieueth. Belieue but a ſhort vvhile, and thou ſhalt ſee the faireſt ſight that euer creature ſaw: and in the meane time, thou ſhalt get joye in belieuing, vvhile thy fayth bee turned in ſight, 1. Pet. 1.8. he ſayth, Though vvee ſee him not, yet belieuing in him, vve rejoyce vvith a joy that is vnſpeakable and glorious. O then vvhat ſhall that joy be, when thou ſhalt ſee his face! But howe is it, that in Chriſt vvee ſee the Father? There is the ground: The Father and the Sonne are one in glory, in power, in wiſdome, juſtice, mercy, &c. Marke vvell this grounde: When yee come to heare of Chriſt, bring it vvith you, and ſettle it into your heart: The Father and the Sonne are one, and the Sonne is the Image of his Father: And this grounde being ſettled into your ſoule, then the ſinner ſhall reſt in hope, and ſhall hauehave joy, and ſhall reach in to the Father: and then the creature findeth the ſelfe ſure and faſt: and it vvere in the fire, and thou vvere in the denne vvith the Lyons, and in the middeſt of death and extremity, thy ſoule ſhall get reſt: for vvhat ſhall ſeparate thee from the louelove of God? Yea, as Paul ſaith, Rom. 8. Thou ſhalt find thy ſelfe more than victorious. And vvithout this ſecurity in Chriſt Ieſus, I vvill not giuegive a pennie for all the ſecurity of men, and for all the remiſsion of the Prince: the Lord ſhal bruiſe thee down, for al thy remiſsion. Well, vvell, the Lord be mercifull to vsus, and to our Prince, &c.
When hee hath laide downe this laſt ground, hee vſeth ſenſible arguments, to conuince them, That they behoued to ſay, That the Father vvas in him, and hee in the Father: that is, that the …od-head dwelt bodily in him. The firſt argument is from the …ordes he ſpake: The ſecond, from the vvorkes hee vvrought: So, vvould he ſay, vvould yee hauehave ſure argumentes, that the Father and I am one? take heed to my vvords, take heed to my works▪ and in them yee ſhall ſee, that I, vvho ſpeaketh, am the Sonne of God▪ The vvordes that the Lord ſpake in the vvorlde, and the vvorkes hee vvrought, bare vvitneſſe to them that ſawe him, and hearde him, that hee vvas God: Hee ſpake vvith ſuch a grace, and vvith ſuch authoritie, and ſuch a Majeſtie, that they who hearde, wondered at his doctrine: In a worde, hee was ſuch a Man, as neuer was. Looke what the ſeruantes of the Phariſees ſaid, when they had no power to touch him: Neuer man ſpake as this man, Iohn, 7. verſ. 46. The Phariſees themſelues vnderſtanding the worke that hee wrought, in giuing ſight to the man that was borne blinde, were forced to ſaye, It cannot bee, but this man is of God, Chap. 9. verſ. 16.
But, Brethren, come to his Diſciples: The enemies were aſtoniſhed, but his Diſciples were not ſo: but they felt the ſweetneſſe that was in him: as Peter confeſſeth, Where ſhall wee goe to? thou haſt the wordes of eternall life, Chap. 6 verſ. 68. Hee ſaide, The wordes of Ieſus had power to life. So the two Diſciples, when they were going to Emmaus, after hee had left ſpeaking to them, and was gone away, they ſaide, Did not our heartes burne within vsus, while hee talked with vsus by the waye, and when hee opened to vsus the Scriptures? Luke, 24.32. The worde of the Lord hath power to burne vp the droſſe of the heart. Wee alſo, by the preaching of the Goſpel, finde by experience, that life is conuoyed to our ſoule. What meaneth this? It meaneth, that the Lord, who ſpake, was life, and that the Godhead dwelt in him. Set mee vp a Philoſopher, vvill his vvordes giuegive life? No, the vvordes of man can giuegive thee no life: but the vvordes of the Author of Life, giueth life. It is true, vvee hauehave not the Lord himſelfe, outwardlie ſpeaking vntounto vsus: but all that is ſpoken of him nowe, it is ſpoken by infirme men, and ſinners, vveake ſillie bodies: (and this is the cauſe vvhy the vvorlde contemneth the Goſpel:) It pleaſeth the Lord ſo to confound the vviſdome of the vvorlde. But it is alſo true, If they vvho preach the Goſpel, ſeeke the glorie of the Lorde Ieſus, and the ſaluation of man, they ſhall hauehave this vantage; The Lord will accompanie the worde ſpoken by them ſo powerfullie, by his Spirite, that it ſhall furniſh life to the hearers. Yee ſee this in experience, and all the Sainctes, vvho hauehave anie ſight of Ieſus Chriſt, vvitneſſe it: And it vvere but a ſillie baſe man, vvho is ſpeaking the vvorde, that ſame vvorde vvill hauehave power to life: And this is the meane the Lorde vſeth, vvhile his comming againe. And albeit the vvorde of the Croſſe of Ieſus, to ſpeake of an hanged man, dying a death vvhichwhich vvas curſed by God himſelfe, of Ieſus nayled on the Croſſe, be the baſeſt thing, and the moſt foolish thing in the vvorlde; yet Paul ſayeth, The vvorde of the ſame Croſſe of IESVS, is the power of GOD to Life, to them vvho belieue: It is the power of GOD, and the vvisedome of GOD: The greateſt wiſedome and power that anie faythfull ſoule can feele, is the Croſſe, vvhichwhich is fooliſhneſſe to the vvorlde: and they thinke all the vviſedome of men, to bee but fooliſhneſſe, in reſpect of the meaneſt portion of that vvisdome. What meaneth this vvisedome, preached by vveake men, of the Croſſe, of a crucified man, vvhichwhich conuoyeth life into the ſoule? It meaneth this, that the crucified man, is the GOD of glorie. Therefore holde faſt this grounde, and then thou ſhalt finde power comming from him, to quicken thy dead ſoule: and through his death, thou ſhalt get life: If hee had not died, thou hadſt neuer ſeene Life. So, all our life, and all our joye, is in his death: And therefore let this bee all our glorie, and our joye, to reſt vponupon the Croſſe of CHRIST: To vvhome, vvith the Father, and vvith the Holie Spirite, bee all prayſe, honour, and glorie, for euermore. Amen.