The Treasure of the Church, Lecture 13
The thirteenth Lecture.
Vers. 17. Sanctifie them with thy truth, thy word is the truth.
AS hitherto Christ hath prayed for the preseruation of his Apostles, so now he moueth his Father by these his heauenly prayers for their sanctification: which is of two sorts, either generall, to be sanctified by the word of God, that is, made truly obedient to his will, as eueryevery faithfull man must be: or speciall, in making them able and sufficient for their calling, whom now he sent vponupon his embassage into the world, ver. 18. Then, the reason and ground of this request is shewed, which is the sanctification of himself, vers. 19.
1 Here then by this Scripture it is euident,Doct. 1. that our hearts and affections are reformed, sanctified, consecrated vntounto the will and seruice of God, onelyonly by the truth reuealed in his word. So saith the phet:The word of God onelyonly conuerteth. Wherewith shall a young man redresse his way, in taking heed according to thy word, Psal. 119. 9. the reforming and redressing of our waies is wrought by the word of God. The Apostle also saith, that the Scriptures are profitable, to teach, to improue, to correct and instruct in righteousnes, 2. Tim. 4. 16.
2. The Prophet Dauid herein sheweth his owne experience: I vnderstood more then the ancient, because I kept thy precepts▪ I hauehave not declined from thy iudgements, for thou didst teach me, Psalm. 109. vers. 100. 102. Zacheus, by the voice of Christ was conuerted, and of a meere worldling made the child of Abraham, Luk. 19. 8. So was the Eunuch cōuerted by the preaching of Philip Act. 8. and Lydia by hearing of Paule, Act. 16.
3 Neither were the waters of Iordan so wholesome to cure Naamans leprosie, 2. King. 5. 14. nor the poole of Bethesda to heale the lame, Iohn 5. 3. nor the lump of figges Hezechiahs sore, 2. King. 20. 7. as the word of God is sufficient to purge all our spirituall diseases. There is nothing searcheth, purgeth, and purifieth, as Gods word doth:Mat. 3 11. as a fire it consumeth the stubble of mens affections: as a sword it cutteth off the put…ified parts:Col. 4. 6. as salt it seasoneth that which is otherwise vnsauourie.Heb. 4. 12.
4 For the proper worke of faith is to purifie our hearts, Act. 15. 9. which is as the eye salue of the soule, by the annointing whereof our spirituall blindnesse is cured. Reu. 3. 18. which faith is wrought in vsus by the hearing of the word of God, Rom. 10. 17.
5 First, in that our Sauiour saith: thy word is the truth. We are taught, that all truth necessarie to our sanctification and saluation is contained in the Scriptures: contrarie to the doctrine of the Church of Rome,All truth necessarie to saluation to be found in Scripture. who hold many traditions necessarie to saluation, not expressed nor reuealed in the Scriptures. And lest they might hauehave this euasion, that there is some part of Gods word vnwritten, beside the Scriptures. Our Sauiour himselfe sendeth vsus to the Scriptures: Search the Scriptures, for in them you thinke to hauehave eternall life, and they are they which testifie of me: but ye will not come vntounto me, that ye may hauehave life. If the Scriptures then declare Christ, and Christ giueth life: and if in the Scriptures we may find eternall life, what other doctrine is necessarie to saluation, beside the truth reuealed in the Scriptures?
Secondly, if the word of God do sanctifie vsus, then they are vnprofitable hearers, which by the preaching of the word are not sanctified. If salt will not season a man, what can? If the finger of God, which did write his law in the tables of stone, cannot write the same in our hearts, then are they harder then flint or stone. Gods word is as his pen, as Ambrose well saith vponupon these words, Psa. 45. My tongue is the pen of a readie writer. Vide ne scriba velociter scribens sit verbum Dei, quod animae vitia procurrat & penetret, & inscribat dona gratiae: See if the Scribe swiftly writing be not the word of God, which pierceth the soule, and discouereth the errors thereof, and writeth there the graces of Gods spirit. If Gods pen then cannot graue his will in mens hearts, no other writing can do it.
Verse 18. As thou didst send me into the world, Doct. 2.so hauehave I sent them into the world. Now followeth the speciall sanctification of the Apostles to their office: Christ sendeth them into the world, and whom he sendeth, he furnisheth with all graces needfull for that function, wherein they are employed.
1 Therfore the Apostle alleaging out of the Psalme saith,God sendeth none but enabled with gifts. he hath ascended vp on high, &c. and hath giuen giftes vntounto men, &c. he therefore gaue some to be Apostles, some Prophets, some Euangelists, some Pastors, some Teachers, Ephes. 4. 8. 11. God hath not onelyonly appointed these callings and offices in his Church, but hath also giuen gifts answerable, to some Apostolicall, to some Propheticall, to other Pastorall and Doctorall gifts.
2 Thus Moses was furnished of God, both with the power of miracles, and the gift of vtterance: I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. Exod. 4. 3 12. Thus Isay his lips were touched with a cole frō the altar, Isa. 6. 6. Our sauior Christ in his baptisme receiued the holy Ghost descending vponupon him in the likenesse of a Doue, Mat. 3. The Apostles, before they were dispersed in the world to preach the Gospell, were assisted by the holy spirit, which came vponupon them in prayer in the likenesse of fierie clouen tongues.
3 For to send an vnfit messenger, not enabled with gifts, is as if one should send a lame man of his errant: He that sendeth a message by a foole (that is, one that is vnwise, and not qualified with gifts) is as he that cutteth off the legs, Pro. 26. 6. The Prophet Isay compareth such messengers to dumbe dogs, that delight in sleeping, Isay 56. 10. A man wil not keepe a dog to watch his house, that will not barke at a theefe: neither are the blind fit to be watch-men, as the prophet saith in the same place; their watch-men are blind: no more is it fit that they should be ignorant that watch ouer other mens soules, or slouthfull or negligent that hauehave the charge ouer others.
4 By this distribution of gifts to his members, our Lord and Sauiour sheweth his great victory and triumph: That being ascended, he hath led captiuitie captiue, and dispoyled his enemies, and deuided the spoile among his faithfull seruants: so that the diuersitie of graces and gifts in Christs Church, redoundeth to the glorie of out victorious Captaine. And againe, as the Lord hath appointed the end, the gathering together of the Saints, the edification of his bodie, Ephes. 4. 12. so likewise he hath ordained the meanes to that end, the necessitie of gifts working thereunto.
5 First, by this Scripture are reproued all they which intrude and thrust themselues into the office and calling of Ministers, being not with gifts thereunto enabled; certainely let such know, that they are not of Gods sending: they either run then of themselues, not called of God, or sent, as the tares were sown of the enuious man, who enuieth the profit & feeding of Christs flocke. The people must needs be blind, where their guides are blind, as our fauiour saith: they be blind leaders of the blind, Mat. 15. 13.Ad Furiam. For as Hierom saith, detrimentū pecoris, ignominia pastoris: The wants of the shepheard, are the woes of the flocke. The poore flock of Christ pincheth and smarteth for the ignorance and negligence of their pastors.
Secondly, we are taught to giuegive thanks vntounto God for those excellēt graces which he bestoweth vponupon his Ministers: as this Church of England shineth with a great number of such starres, that I thinke no Church in the world may be compared to it. Let vsus therefore praise God for such, as the churches did for Paul: They glorified God for me, Gal. 2. 23. and pray earnestly vntounto God to increase the number of them that the Lord of the haruest will vouchsafe to send forth labourers into his haruest, Mat. 9. 38.
Verse 19.Doct. 3. And for their sakes sanctifie I my selfe, that they also may be sanctified through the truth. We see then that Christ is the sanctifier of his Church, and that he hath receiued all graces and riches of the spirit onelyonly to inrich vsus.
1. So the Euangelist saith: All gifts deriued vntounto the Church by Christ.Of his fulnes hauehave we all receiued, and grace for grace. Iohn 1. 16. Christ is a full vessell, the ouerflowings whereof do fill all his members. The Apostle also saith, Christ gaue himselfe for his Church, that he might sanctifie it and clea…se it, Ephes. 5. 26.
2 Thus was Paul called and sanctified by Christ: Neither receiued I it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the reuelation of Iesus Christ, Galat. 1. 12. Thus the Angel Christ gaue vntounto Iohn a litle book which he did eate, and thereby prophecied, Reu. 10. 11.
3 Christ is the Oliue tree that standeth before the ruler of the whole earth, and emptieth it self by the pipes and conduits of his word into the golden candlesticke of his Church, Zach. 4. He is the head, from whence the bodie receiueth life and power,Ephes. 4. 16. as the Apostle saith: Let vsus in all things grow vp vntounto him, which is the head, euen Ch…ist, by whom all the bodie being coupled and knit together, according to the effectuall power, which is in the measure of eueryevery part, receiueth increase of the bodie, &c.
4 For without a Mediator no grace is deriued from God vntounto man: like as the nurse suckleth the child by the meane of her breasts, a part of her selfe. As the mind imparteth not her secrets, but the words and voice: so Christ is Gods eternal word to make known his wil; he by his incarnation, as the nurse by her breasts, doth conuey vntounto vsus heauenly grace. The booke of Gods secrets could not be opened, till the Lion of the tribe of Iuda had obtained to open it. Reu. 5. 3. 5.
5 First, in that Christ sanctifieth himselfe, he is manifested to be perfect God, who hath the fountaine of grace and life in himselfe, who needeth not by an other to be sanctified as man doth, but the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth bodily in him, Col. 2. 9. that is, essentially & substantially: for God giueth him not the spirit by measure, Iohn 3. 34. as to others. Secondly, Christ had no need of the grace of sanctification for himselfe, but to sanctifie vsus. Christ therefore was borne, died, rose againe, ascended, not for himself, but for vsus: he merited not to himselfe;… merited not for himselfe. but all the fruite of his merits redound to vsus, contrary to the doctrine of the Church of Rome, who teach that Christ merited for himself. Ambrose toucheth this point well:Lib. 5. de fid. cap. 7. Ad hoc natus est Christus, vt faceret creaturam, nec enim sibi natiuitas sua proficit, sed nobis; quia non eguit nasci, erat enim in Deo qui processit de Deo: si ergo natiuitas prima illi non profuit multò minus secunda. Christ was borne to this end, to make the creatures; for his natiuitie did not profite himself, but vsus; he needed not to hauehave bene borne or begotten, for he was in God that proceeded from God: if then his first natiuitie did not profit him, much lesse his second. As Christ was euerlastingly begotten of God, not for himselfe, but for the creation of the world; so he was borne in the fulnesse of time, not for himselfe, but for our redemption.
Thirdly▪ here may eueryevery one learne, how to know himselfe to be a true member of Christs bodie▪ namely by his sanctificatiō: for as S. Paul saith, If the first fruites be holy, so is the lumpe; if the roote be holy, so are the branches, Rom. 11. If then we be graft into the true vine, the life of the tree is in vsus, and the spirit of sanctification doth quicken vsus: and as Christ did sanctifie himselfe, so are we sanctified by him. He then that hath not the spirit of Christ, whereby he shold be sanctified, is not his.