The Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Lecture 45
THE XLV. LECTVRE, OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST.
IHON, CHAP. XX.
verse 21 Then ſaid Ieſus to them againe, Peace be vntounto you: as my Father ſent me, ſo ſend … you.
verse 22 And when He had ſaide that, He breathed on them, and ſaide vntounto them, Receiue the Holy Ghost.
verse 23 Whoſoeuer ſinnnes ye remit, they are remitted vntounto them: and whoſoeuer ſinnes ye reteine, they are reteined.
HITHERTO (beloued Brethren in Chriſt) wee hauehave inſiſted in the opening vp of that Sermon, that the Lorde vttered to His Apoſtles in His fift appearing after His Reſurrection, as it is ſet down by the Euangeliſt Luke, wherein, firſt. He lets them ſee, that it behooued Him to ſuffer, and to riſe againe from the death, becauſe it was ſo foretolde of Him, and that it behooued Repentance & Remiſsion of ſinnes to be preached in His Name, to all Nations, beginning at Jeruſalem. Next, He giues them a direction, to goe out to the world to be witneſſes and preachers of theſe things, albeit they were altogether vnmeet and vnſufficient, and had deſerued no ſuch thing at His hand, becauſe they were aſhamed of Him, and fled away at His Paſsion: yet He honoures them with this high calling then to encourage them the more chearfully to vndertake this calling, He promiſes to ſend vntounto them the Holy Spirit, who was before promiſed to them by the Father, to accompanie them, and their trauells. And laſt, that they might hauehave the greater ſecuritie, and aſſurance to receiue this Spirit, He giues them a commandement not to depart from Ieruſalem, vntill they finde His promiſe performed vntounto them, and vntill they were endued vvith power from on high.
Thus farre vve hauehave heard out of Luke of this Sermon: Now in this Text that vve hauehave read▪ Iohn followes out cheifly ye latter part of the Lord, concerning the ſending out of the Apoſtles, and he inſiſtes therein more largely, and particularly than Luke does, marking eſpecially the things that vvere omitted by Luke: for he vvrote after him: Firſt, in theſe vvordes vve hauehave ſet downe a preface, to prepare their heartes the better to receiue the vvorde which Hee vvas to ſpeake vntounto them: thereafter vvee hauehave the preaching, wherin firſt, He ſends out the Apoſtles to preach the Goſpel: Next, He confirmes them partly by giuing them the Holy Spirit, partly by arming them with power and authoritie.
But to come to the words: Iohn ſayes, that before He ſent them out, He ſaid againe to them, Peace be vntounto you. Before, at the firſt meeting with them, this was His ſalutation, Peace be vntounto you: Now He repeates theſe wordes againe. Wherefore is this? It was to prepare their heartes to receiue the more reuerently and attentiuely, and with the greater comfort theſe things that Hee was to ſpeake to them concerning their charge to preach in His Name to the world. The man that would receiue the word of the Lord, eſpecially, the Goſpell of peace and conſolation, muſt hauehave His heart prepared with the aſſurance of peace, for the meſſage of peace and conſolation requires: Firſt, that the ſoule be prepared with peace, to the end, it may receiue the word with peace and joy: for except the ſoule hauehave ſome perſwaſion of peace, it can finde no comfort: and if we receiue the meſſage of peace, with a perſwaſion of peace, and vvith a joy in the ſoule, then the more vvee heare, the greater ſhall our comfort bee, the more ſhall vvee drinke in that joy of the Holy Spirit: The meſſengers of peace ſhould follow this example of the Lord: When they are to preach the Goſpell of peace, they ſhould prepare their heartes, that by foretelling that all their meſſage and the worde that they are to ſpeake tendes to peace, and likewiſe they who come to heare, ſhoulde hauehave their heartes prepared vvith ſome ſenſe of peace and joye, but ſuch a joye as followes vponupon ſorrow for ſinne, and a ſenſe of their owne miſerie, and vvhichwhich euer is accompanied with true Repentance: for there is no true joye of a Chriſtian man in this life, but that which is conjoyned with Repentance and ſorrow for ſinne.
Nowe, vvhen the Lorde hath prepared their heartes vvith this preface of peace, Hee comes to the Sermon: and firſt, Hee giues them a direction to goe out to preach the Goſpell: As my Father, ſayes he, ſent me, ſo ſend I you. Wee hauehave ſpoken ſome thing alreadie of this ſending out of the Apoſtles, in opening vp of the Lordes wordes, as they are ſet downe by Luke: and therefore heere I ſhall be the ſhorter in ſpeaking of it. Yee ſee the Lorde ſets downe this ſending of the Apoſtles, by vvay of compariſon with His owne ſending, I ſent you, euen as the Father ſent mee. This compariſon importes firſt, that the Sonne only vvas ſent immediatly by the Father, the Sonne only hath gotten this honour to be ſent immediatly by the Father. The Apoſtle ſayes, Chriſt tooke not this honour to Himſelfe, to bee High Prieſt, but Hee that ſaide vntounto Him, Thou art My Sonne, this day hauehave I begotten Thee, gaue it Him, Heb. 5.5. And the Father by ſending the Sonne immediatly Himſelfe, gaue Him all power to ſend all others: ſo that all others are ſent by the Sonne, albeit not all after one manner, for ſome are ſent by Him immediatly, as the Prophets, & Apoſtles, ſome mediatly, as the Paſtors & the Teachers. Indeede, I grant, The Prophets and Apoſtles were ſent alſo by the Father, but they were ſent mediatly by the Father, & immediatly by the Sonne: & therefore Paul vſes to call Himſelfe, The Apostle of Jeſus Chriſt, by the will of God the Father: whereby he meanes, that immediatly he was ſent by the Sonne, & mediatly by the Father: the Sonne ſent the Prophets, and Apoſtles immediatly: & therefore it is ſaid, when He aſcended, vp to Heauen, He gaue ſome to be Apoſtles, and ſome to be Prophets, Eph. 4.11. Next, this compariſon importes, that the office of the Apoſtleſhip is not only lawful, but alſo that it is furniſhed with authority: for Chriſt, who ſent His Apoſtles, was firſt ſent by His Father, not only had Hee a lawful calling, but He had it with authority: euen ſo, all true Paſtors & Teachers in the Church, hauehave not only a lawful calling to preach the Goſpell, but alſo authoritie joyned with their calling, becauſe they are ſent by the Sonne, for it was the Sonne, that gaue ſome to be Paſtors & ſome Teachers, Eph 4.11 for albeit true Paſtors in ye Church be called by ye miniſterie of mē, yet they are ſent by the Son & therfore men hauehave their authoritie frō Him, for in a maner they repreſent His perſon, as the Son repreſented the perſon of His Father, & was His ambaſſadour to the worlde: ſo they are ambaſſadours of the Sonne, and muſt repreſent His perſon. Men in this Lande deſpiſe the Miniſters of the Goſpell, and count moſt vilely of them, in reſpect of the baſeneſſe of their perſons: but they ſhoulde conſider, it is not with men, but with God, & Chriſt Himſelfe whoſe ambaſſadours they are, that they hauehave adoe: the obedience, or diſobedience, and contempt of the Paſtour, redounds directly to the Sonne: and the Father, and the Sonne counts it to be done to Himſelfe, and to the Father: for He ſayes: He that heares you, heares me, and he that despiſes you, despiſes me, and he that despiſes me, despiſes Him that ſent me, Luke 10.15. Thirdly, this compariſon lets vsus ſee, who they are, that hauehave a lawfull calling in the Church, not eueryevery one that hath a pretence and ſhew of outwarde calling, but only they vvho are called by them, vvho vvere ſent themſelues before. And therefore theſe only are lawfull Paſtours, who hauehave bene called by the Presbyterie, and fellowſhip of the Elders, who themſelues before, had a lawfull calling. The people and flocke hauehave no power to call a man to the Miniſterie, they may indeede nominate, and preſent a man, and giuegive their conſent: but the calling and admiſſion of a man to the function of the Miniſterie, belonges only to the Elderſhip and Paſtours, vvho before vvere called themſelues.
But to goe forward. When He hath charged them to goe out to preach the Goſpell, becauſe it was a very weightie and painfull charge, therefore He encourages, and ſtrengthenes them the more willingly to vndertake it: Firſt, by beſtowing vponupon them the Holy Spirit, and His graces: Next, by arming them with power and authoritie. To come to the firſt: it is ſaid, When Hee had ſaide this, Hee breathed on them, and ſaide vntounto them: Receiue the Holy Ghost. In giuing to them the Holy Spirit, He vſes an outward and viſible ſigne, Hee breathes vponupon them: for this breathing vponupon them, was not the ſending and giuing of the Holy Spirit it ſelfe, but it was an outward ſigne and Sacrament, to repreſent, to ſignifie and aſſure them of the giuing of the Holy Spirit, the outward breathing vponupon them, was a ſigne of the inward breathing of the Holy Spirit vponupon their ſoules, and a ſigne verie fit and conuenient to expreſſe the thing ſignified for the wind ſerues very well to repreſent the Holy Spirit, and is vſed for that ſame purpoſe by the Lorde Himſelfe, Ioh. 3 8. Th… wind bl…wes where it listeth, &c. But it would be marked, that the Lord vſes not only the bare and naked ſigne: No, that could hauehave profited them very litle, but to the ſigne He joynes words, telling the meaning of it, He ſayes: Receiue the Holy Ghost. For the Lorde in all Sacraments vſes commonly to joyne the word to the Sacrament: As in Baptiſme, and the Lords Supper: to the end, that not only Hee may declare and open vp the meaning of the ſigne, but alſo to worke, and confirme Faith in mens heartes, that ſo the Sacrament may be powerfull and effectuall in them, for the outward ſigne alone is not able to worke Faith in the ſoule, but it is the word chiefly, that workes Faith, the worde is the life of the Sacrament: and therefore, except the word be joyned with the outward ſigne, it cannot bee a true and effectuall Sacrament: Nowe it is to be conſidered, that this breathing of the Lord vponupon His Apoſtles, was not a thing that Hee would hauehave to bee kept ordinarily in His Church, but it is an extraordinarie ſigne vſed extraordinarily by the Lorde, in the ſending out of extraordinarie men, the Apoſtles, to an extraordinary calling, whereby the Lord at that time endued them with extraordinarie graces neceſſarie for that great calling. And therefore fooliſh and damnable is the practiſe of the Pope, his Cardinalls, and his Biſhops, which they vſe in ſending out their ſhauelings into the world: for when they admit them, with their vile and ſtinking mouths, they breath vponupon them, and ſay, Receiue the Holy Ghoſt, filthily abuſing this action of the Lord, as if it lay in their hands, with their breathing to giuegive the Holy Spirit: whereas the Lord hath reſerued this power to Himſelfe alone, and communicates it not to any man: they are but counterfaiters of ſuch things as the Lord will not hauehave to bee counterfeited, for this His action in all pointes was extraordinarie: and therefore ought not to be vſed ordinarily: but I leaue them to their owne vanitie.
A queſtion may bee heere mooued: How agrees this doing of Chriſt, on His Diſciples, and giuing them the Holy Ghoſt, recorded here by Iohn, with the wordes that we heard before out of the Goſpell of Luke▪ where the Lord ſayes: Beholde I doe ſend the promiſe of my Father vponupon you, but tarie in Ieruſalem, vntill ye be endued with power from on high: Which wordes importe, that at this fift appearing to His Diſciples, which is one with this that John recordes, He gaue them not the Holy Ghoſt▪ but only promiſed to ſend H…m to them: I anſwere: Both theſe places agree well enough together, for in Luke the Lord promiſed to ſend His Spirit with His graces in a full meaſure vponupon them, which promiſe indeed hee performed on the daye of the Pentecosts, when they beeing gathered together, there appeared vntounto them clouen tongues, like fi…e, and ſate vponupon each one of them, and they were all miraculouſly filled with the Holy Ghoſt, Act. 2.1. But the Lord heere, only giues them the Holy Ghoſt, and His graces in a ſmall meaſure▪ to be as it were a beginning of that full accompliſhment, which they were to receiue in the daye of the Pentecoſte: for wee may not thinke, that the Holie Spirit, and all His graces were giuen fully and compleetely to the Apoſtles at one time: No, but they were giuen piece and piece, & by degrees: for firſt, they got the fruites of the Spirit, when the Lorde was conuerſant with them in the fleſh▪ in the dayes of His infirmitie: Next, after He roſe from the death, they receiued them in a greater meaſure, as we may ſee in this place of Iohn: and laſt, after the Lordes aſcenſion, Hee powred downe in abundance His Spirit, with all His graces, according as He had promiſed to them, Luke 24.49. and was long before foretolde by Ioel, Chap. 2. verſe 28. But why would Hee not giuegive them the Holy Spirit, and His graces in a full meaſure at the firſt? Becauſe there behooued to be a certaine proportion and correſpondence betweene the Head and the members: the Lord Ieſus was their Head, they were members of His body: ſo long as He was not fully glorified Himſelfe, it was no reaſon, that they ſhould hauehave receiued the fulneſſe of grace, but when He was fully glorified, He filled them abundantly with grace, Epheſ. 4.10. The Lord now glorified in the Heauens, hath ſtore and abundance of grace to giuegive to His Church, but our heartes are not prepared to receiue grace: wee offend Him continually with our ſinnes, and grieue His Holy Spirit, for this is the laſt age of the world, wherein ſinne aboundes, and th…refore, that vve are not ſo skant of grace, the fault is not in the Lorde▪ there is no ſcarcitie nor want of grace with Him, but the fault is in our ſelues, who entertaine ſinne in our heartes, whereby wee baniſh grace out of them, and makes the Spirit, who ſhould be our Comforter, to be a witneſſe againſt vsus in that great day of the Lord. Now after that the Lord hath encouraged His Apoſtles, by giuing them His Holy Spirit, and His graces, in the words following, to make them the more willing, He armes them with power, and au…ho…itie, before He ſend them out, He ſayes: Whoſoeuer ſi…nes ye remit, th…y are remitted vntounto them, and whoſoeuer ſinnes ye retaine, they are reteined: As if Hee had ſaid to them, I will not ſend you out powerleſſe, with a fectleſſe worde in your mouth, but to the end ye may the better diſcharge your commiſsion, I enarme you with power, I will giuegive you power to binde and looſe, to forgiue ſinnes, and retaine ſinnes. The Lord ſendes none out to his warfare, till firſt Hee furniſh them with weapons and armour. But what weapons are they? Euen ſpirituall weapons. Paul ſayes, The weapons of our warfare, are not carnall, but mightie through GOD, to caſt downe holdes, &c. 2. Cor. Chapter 10. verſe 4. Hee hath giuen them power, to diſcharge their calling. Yee may reade of this power at great length, Matth. Chapter 16. verſe 19. When the Lord ſpeaking to Peter, in his perſon ſayes to all the Apoſtles: I will giuegive vntounto thee the keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen, and whatſoeuer thou ſhalt binde vponupon earth, ſhall be bound in Heauen, and whatſoeuer thou ſhalt looſe on earth ſhall be looſed in Heauen. And Matth. Chapter 18. verſe 18. the Lord ſayes to all his Apoſtles, Whatſoeuer ye binde on earth, ſhall be bound in Heauen, and whatſoeuer yee looſe on earth, ſhall be looſed in Heauen. So yee ſee, the Lord giues them this power, before His ſuffering, and now after His Reſurrection, He renewes it againe. Nowe, wee muſt not thinke, that this power was giuen only to the Apoſtles, and their Miniſterie, which was then extraordinarie: No, but it is giuen alſo to the ordinarie Paſtors, and their ordinarie Miniſterie, to continue with them to the ende of the world.
Nowe, Brethren, becauſe this power which the Lord giues to His Miniſterie, is a matter of great importance, and ſerues much for our inſtruction. Wee ſhall inſiſt ſomewhat more largely in ſpeaking of it: Firſt, What are the meanes, whereby this power is practiſed and put in execution. The meanes are two: the firſt is, the preaching of the worde, the preaching of the Law, and the preaching of the Goſpell. The ſecond is, Eccleſiaſticall diſcipline, vvhichwhich ought to be conjoyned with the preaching of the word, & ſhould follow after it. But wherein is this power placed? Standes it in this, that the Paſtor himſelf ſhould reteine or forgiue mens ſins? Is this the proper effect of the Miniſterie? No, the Paſtour himſelfe hath no power, to forgiue or reteine ſinnes, becauſe that belongs only to God Himſelfe, and cannot be communicated to any creature. The Phariſes themſelues acknowledged this: for when CHRIST ſaide to the ſicke of the Palſey: Sonne, thy ſinnes are forgiuen thee, they counted Him a blaſphemer: for ſay they: Who can forgiue ſinnes, but GOD oly, Marc. Chapter 2. verſe 5. &c. And the Lord ſayes himſelfe, Eſay 43.25. I, euen I am Hee that puts away thine iniquities for mine owne ſake, and will not remember thy ſinnes. This is ſo proper to the Lord, that He will not giuegive this power to any fleſh, becauſe it is a part of His glorie: and He ſayes, J will not giuegive my glorie to another, Eſay 48.11. And good reaſon it is, that this power of forgiuing and reteining of ſinnes belong only to Him: for all ſinne, properly is againſt the Majeſtie of GOD Himſelfe: for Iohn ſayes, Sin is a tranſgreſsion of the Law of God: Therefore Dauid, when He had ſlaine Ʋriah, & had committed adulterie with Bathſheba his wife, he ſayes to the Lord: Against thee, againſt thee only hauehave I ſinned, & done euill in thy ſight, Pſal. 51.4. So this ſtands ſure, that properly it is a thing belonging to GOD only to forgiue and reteine ſinnes, to binde and to looſe: that is, to pronounce the ſentence of remitting and reteining of ſinnes. Then wherein ſtands this power that Chriſt hath giuen to His Paſtours and Miniſterie? I anſwere: It ſtands in the promulgation and proclaming in the earth of that ſentence that is alreadie paſt, & giuen out in ye Heauens: for this is manner of ye Lords dealing with men, Hee will not lift them vp to Heauen immediatly, & make them to heare ye ſentence of remitting or reteining of ſinnes pronounced there by Himſelfe: No, but He abaſes & demits Himſelf to vsus, & by His Miniſtry, He comes down, as it were out of Heauen to vsus, & by His Miniſterie He intimates & proclames to vsus, in the earth that ſentence, which alreadie He hath pronounced in the Heauens, and that either to our comfort and conſolation, if it bee the ſentence of remiſſion of ſinnes, or els to our griefe and downecaſting, if it be the ſentence of reteining of ſinnes. And if wee deſpite and contemne this Miniſterie, wherein God abaſes and demits Himſelfe vntounto vsus, and by the which, as the Apoſtle ſayes, 2. Cor. 5.20. He prayes vsus to be reconciled vntounto Him, we can hauehave no warrand, nor aſſurance of the remiſſion of ſinnes, not of ſaluation. Then yee ſee, that this power that the Lord giues to this Miniſterie, ſtands in the proclaming & declaring of that ſentence which is alreadie paſt, and pronounced in the Heauens, and the words that the Lord vſes here, if we marke them w…ll, import this ſame meaning: for He ſayes, Whoſoeuer ſinnes ye forgiue, they are forgiuen ſpeaking in the time bypaſt, as if Hee had ſaide, this is a thing alreadie done, the ſentence is alreadie pronounced in the Heauen: as for you who are my Miniſters, ye only intimate & proclame in earth that ſentence, which is alreadie paſt in Heauen: & He ſayes on the other part: Whoſoeuer ſinnes yee reteine, they are reteined, vſing the time bypaſt, as if He had ſaid, the ſentence of reteining of their ſins is already pronounced in Heauen, & ye only intimate & declare on earth ye ſentence which already is paſt in Heauē. Now hauing conſidered wherein this power conſiſts, we ſhal let you ſee, what ſort of power it is: This power that the Lord hath giuen to His Miniſterie, either extraordinarie, as the Apoſtles had, or ordinarie, which the Paſtours hauehave, is not a Kingly power, not ſuch a power as is giuen to Kings & Rulers in the world: No, it is only a miniſteriall power. Let a man, ſayes Paul, ſo thinke of vsus, as of the Ministers of Chriſt, 1. Cor. 4.1. And againe, He ſayes: We hauehave not dominion ouer your Faith, but we are helpers of your ioy, 2. Cor. 1.24. yet it is a power, & ſo the Apoſtle calles it, 2. Cor. 13.10. According to the power which God hath giuen me, to edification, and not to deſtruction. And, a glorious Miniſterie, 2. Cor. 3.9. And as the word of God calles it a power, ſo alſo the conſciences of men finde it to bee a power, Therefore, the Apoſtle ſayes, 2 Cor. 13.3 Ye ſeeke experience of Chriſt, that ſpeaketh in me▪ which toward you is not weake, but is mightie in you. And if we will compare it with the ciuile and kingly power, we will finde it in this reſpect to be preferred to the ciuile power: that whereas the ciuile power is extended only ouer the body, the life, and goods temporall, this power of the Miniſterie, is extended to the ſoule, to the ſpirituall graces of the ſoule, and life euerlaſting: and therefore it is called by the Apoſtle, the Miniſterie of the Spirit, and of righteouſneſſe, 2 Cor. 3.8, 9.
Now, to end ſhortly: There may be a queſtion moued: When the Miniſter either remittes ſinnes, or reteines ſinnes, vponupon earth, how ſhall he be aſſured, that ye Lord hath not remitted or reteined them in Heauen: for it becomes the Herauld or Meſſenger, to make intimation of nothing, but of that whereof he hath a ſpeciall warrand from the Iudge: otherwiſe hee cannot hauehave a good conſcience in his intimation: then how ſhall the Paſtour knowe Gods ſentence pronounced in Heauen, that hee may hauehave a good conſcience in his proceeding? To this I anſwere: It is true indeede, the Paſtour hath none extraordinarie reuelation of that ſentence, vvhichwhich is paſt in Heauen, but all the warrand that the Paſtour hath, is ordinary, wrought by the Spirit, accompanying His own word, vvhichwhich He left in vvrite vntounto vsus, and the Paſtour gets this vvarrand out of the vvord, by the applying of the generall ſentences of the vvorde, to particular perſons, according as they finde their diſpoſition and behauiour, and by this meanes, gets ſuch a ſufficient warrand out of the vvorde, as his conſcience may reſt vponupon. As for example: to ſpeake firſt, of the ſentence of the Remiſſion of ſinnes: Before the Paſtour abſolue a man, and remit his ſinnes, he lookes firſt to the generall ſentences ſet downe in the worde, that may be his warrand, as namely, that ſentence which the LORD Himſelfe vtters, Ioh. 3.13. Whoſoeuer beleeues in the Sonne of God, ſhall not periſh, but hauehave euerlasting life.
Nowe, to Faith in Chriſt, joyne Repentance, for the Goſpell joynes Repentance and Remiſsion of ſinnes together, Luke 24.47. and ſayes, Whoſoeuer beleeues and repents▪ ſhall be ſafe. To this generall propoſition, the Paſtour will aſſume particularly: This ſinner repents and beleeues, whereupon he concludes, (declaring the ſentence that is alreadie paſt of Him in the Heauen:) therefore this ſinner hath his ſinnes forgiuen him, and he ſhall be ſaued. Againe, before the Paſtour binde a man, and retaine his ſinnes, hee lookes to this generall ſentence of the worde, Hee that beleeues not, and repents not, is alreadie condemned, Ioh. 3.18. Then he aſſumes particularly: But this ſinner beleeues not, neither repents: whereupon hee concludes, the declaration of the ſentence which is alreadie paſt in Heauen. Therefore this ſinner is condemned, and is bound in Heauen. The Lord worke in our heartes true repentance, and Faith in the Lorde Ieſus, that not only wee may heare the voyce of the Paſtour, abſoluing vsus, but likewiſe our owne conſciences may aſſure vsus of the Remiſsion of our ſinnes, through the merciemercy of God in Ieſus Chriſt. To whome with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, bee all praiſe, and honour, for euermore.
AMEN.