The Treasure of the Church, Lecture 3
The third Lecture.
Vers. 2. As thou hast giuen him power ouer all flesh.
THis is the second reason of our Sauiour his request for his glorification, and it is taken a pari from the like: as thou hast giuen him power ouer all flesh, so also giuegive him the glory due vntounto him, which is an adiunct of this power. Here we hauehave first the power set forth which is giuen vntounto Christ, then the end of his power, to giuegive eternall life; and the meanes directing to this end▪ which is the knowledge of God and his Christ.
First then, this Scripture sheweth, that all power ouer all men is giuē vntounto Christ as he is God and man; that vntounto his kingdome of power, all flesh is brought in subiection: the very wicked and abiects shall tremble before him and the mightiest potentates shall stoupe vntounto him. This is testified by our Sauiour himselfe. Iohn 5. 27. The father hath giuen him power to execute iudgement in that he is the son of man. Mat. 28. 18 All power is gi…en vntounto me in heauen and earth. Act. 17. 31. He will iudge the world by that man whom he hath appointed.
An experience of this great power, we hauehave Act. 9. when Saule breathing out threatnings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord, was cast downe to the ground, as he went to Damascus, & smitten blind: this power here executed by Iesus himself he also exerciseth sometime by his Ministers, as the Angels who smote Herode that killed Iames the brother of Iohn, Act. 12. and was a cruell persecutor of Christs Church▪ by the Apostles, as Peter by this power pronounced the sentēce of death against Ananias and Sapphira for their hypocrisie, Act. 5. and Paul smote Elymas the sorcerer with blindnesse. Act. 1…. 11.
In respect of this great power, our Lord Iesus is said to hauehave a …od of yron in his hand, and vnderunder the same the people of the world are as a potters vessell, Psal. 2. 9. And as he that treadeth the wine-presse, with great facilitie doth presse out the grapes: so Christ saith by the Prophet, Isay 63. 3. I hauehave troden the wine-presse alone, &c. I will tread them in mine anger, and tread them vnderunder foote in my wrath.
The reason of this great power committed vntounto Christ, the Apostle sheweth Heb. 1. 2. whom he hath made heire of all things, by whom he also made the world…: wherefore it is iust that Christ should inherite that he made, and beare rule ouer the workes of his owne hands, and be Lord ouer his owne creatures: for Christ God and man being but one person, euen his humanity is made partaker of that power which belongeth vntounto him as God. Againe, the Apostle further alleageth out of the 45. Psalme, Thou hast loued righteousnesse and hated iniquitie, wherefore God thy God hath annointed thee with the oile of gladnesse aboue thy fellows. Christ in respect of his perfect obedience and absolute righteousnes, euen as he is man, is iudged meete and worthy to be exalted aboue all creatures, and to hauehave all power committed to him.
First then this doctrine of Christs soueraigne power, doth ouerthrow that proud conceit of the Bishop of Rome, who challengeth to be Christs Vicar in earth,The Pope not Christs Vicar. and the ministeriall head of his vniuersall Church: it is blasphemy to say that any mortall man can execute this great power of Christ ouer all flesh: Christ saith all power is giuen vntounto me, it is not giuen to any else, neither will God giuegive his honor to another: yet the Pope vsurpeth Christ power, to command Angels, to canonize Saints, to open and shut the kingdome of God to whom he list; wherein he sheweth himself to be the prince of pride, and very Antichrist. S. Paul saith, We will not reioyce of things which are not within our measure, but according to the measure of the line, whereof God hath distributed vntounto vsus a measure to attaine vntounto you. 2. Cor. 10. 13. But the Bishop of Rome doth extend him selfe beyond the line of his measure: he might content himselfe with his own Diocesse and go no further. Ambrose saith: Gratia Christiana non contenta est eosdem habere limites, Lib. 2. de vocat. gent. cap. 6.quos Roma, &c. The Christian faith is not contained within the same bounds that Rome is, &c.
Secondly, seeing all power and iudgement is committed to Christ, who is able alone to take vengeance of his enemies, let carnall and profane men stand in awe of Christ, take heed how they do blaspheme his name, contemne his word, and persecute his members: as the Prophet exhorteth Kings and Princes, to serve the Lord in feare, to kisse the son, that is to honor & embrace his name, l…st he be angrie, and …e perish out of the way, Psal. 2. 12.
Thirdly, to the faithfull seruants of Christ this doctrine yeeldeth speciall cō fort: that our Lord and Sauiour is able to defen… his Church, to succor his afflicted members, and to deliuer them from euerlasting wrath: as it followeth in the same place: If his wrath be suddenly kindled, blassed are all they that trust in him. Ambrose well saith: Veni Domine Iesu, sed non iam in vmbra, sed in sole iustitiae: si corporis vmbra saluauit, quantum conferre poterit alacritas aperta virtutis?Ser. 19. in. Psal. 119. Come Lord Iesus, but not now in the shadow, but in the Sunne of righteousnesse: if the shadow as it were of his bodie saued vsus, how much more the cleare brightnesse of his power?
That he should giuegive eternall life to all, Doct. 2.that thou hast giuen him] Besides that generall power which is giuen to Christ ouer all flesh, he doth exercise a peculiar soueraigntie toward his Church, in conferring euerlasting saluation vponupon his faithfull members.…ternall life onelyonly giuen to those that are giuen to Christ. So that from hence we are taught, that eternall life is onelyonly giuen to those that are giuen out of the world to Christ, that is, the elect: so our Sauiour saith, Ioh. 6. 39. It is the Fathers will that hath sent me, that of all which he hath giuen me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it vp againe at the last day, Ephes. 5. 23. He is the Sauiour of his bodie: they then which are not of Christs bodie, hauehave no part in him, he is not their Sauiour, Rom. 8. 30. Whom he predestinated, them also he called: whom he called, them also he iustified: whom he iustified, he also glorified. None then are brought to glorie, but they which are iustified in Christ; none are iustified or called in him, but they which before were predestinate, elected, and chosen of God.
This we see perfourmed in the Apostles of Christ, how he giueth life to those that are giuen him▪ Mat. 19. 18. You that hauehave followed me in the regeneration, shall sit vponupon twelue thrones, and iudge the twelue Tribes of Israel, Ioh. 17. 12. Those that thou gauest me hauehave I kept, and none of them is lost, but the child of perdition: who was giuen vntounto Christ, and not giuen; giuen, in respect of his outward vocation, not giuen by eternall election.
Christ herein is worthie of more glorie then Moses, Heb. 3. 3. for Moses could not bring all those that were giuen him out of Aegypt into the land of Canaan, nay he could not bring himselfe thither: onelyonly two of 600. thousand, Caleb and Iosua came into the land of promise. Neither could Nehemiah bring all those that came out of the captiuitie, to be true Israelites▪ not giuegive them to God, whom the Lord had giuen out of the hand of their enemies: for amongst them were many hypocrites that were sworne and confederate with Tobiah, that hindred the building of the temple, Nehem. 6. 17. and that maried wiues of Ashdod & Ammō, Moab, &c. like as Iacob saith to Laban, These twentie yeares hauehave I bene with thee, thine ewes and goats hauehave not …ast their yong: whatsoeuer was torne of beasts I made it good my selfe▪ Gen. 3…. 48. 49. So Christ is a most faithfull shepheard, maketh good vntounto his Father al those sheepe which are giuen vntounto him: none of them is wanting or perisheth.
Our Sauiour himselfe sheweth the reason hereof, where eternall life is onelyonly giuen to those which are appointed of God thereunto, and giuen vntounto Christ to be redeemed by him. Mat. 20. 23. To sit at my right hand and my left is not mine to giuegive, but it shall be giuen to them, for whom it is prepared of my Father: that is, Christ is not to giuegive eternall life, but vntounto those that are thereunto ordained of God, Ephes. 1. 5. Who hath predestinate vsus to be adopted through Iesus Christ vntounto himself: no more are adopted by Christ, then are predestinate of God: election is the foundation of our vocation & iustification by Christ. Like as the Israelites only passed through the red sea, the Egyptians aduenturing to go the same way were drowned in the waters: so Christ is a way onelyonly to true Israelites, that is, beleeuers, to passe by vntounto heauen.
First then their error is here confuted,Christ died not for all. that hold, that Christ died for all men, for Turkes, Iewes, vnbeleeuers, for the reprobate as well as the elect: this is the opinion of the Papists, and some Lutherans: whereas Christ vouchsafeth not to pray for the world, Ioh. 17. 9. much lesse died he for them: if they hauehave no part in his prayer, neither hauehave they in his sacrifice. Againe, if Christ giuegive eternall life to all those that are giuen him, then none of them can perish:…lection certaine. then is the election of God certaine and infall…ble, none can fall away from it: contrarie to the opinion of some, that thinke the elect of God may become reprobates, contrarie to the Scripture, Ioh. 13. 1. whom Christ loueth, he loueth to the end.
Further, we are taught hereby▪ so many as desire to be made partakers of euerlasting life, to examine themselues, whether they be giuen vntounto Christ: for whosoeuer is not giuen vntounto Christ, hath no part in saluation, 2. Corin. 13. 5. Examine your selues, know you not, that Iesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? And to be giuen vntounto Christ, is not to be baptised: so was Simon Magus, and yet Peter said vntounto him: Thou hast no part nor fellowship in this businesse, Act. 8. 21. nor yet sometime to pray: so did the Pharisie, and yet was not iustified, Luk. 18. nor to be an hearer of the word: so was Herode, and yet an hypocrite. Mark. 6. 20. Nor yet doth it suffice to preach the word: for so did Iudas, and yet was the child of perdition. This it is therfore to be giuen vntounto Christ, to be separate from the world, and to cleaue vntounto Christ by a liuely faith, and to be guided by the spirit of Christ, to be mortified in the flesh, and sanctified in the spirit, as the Apostle saith, Rom. 8. 10. If Christ be in you, the bodie is dead because of sinne, but the spirit is life for righteousnesse sake. They therfore which behold Christ by faith, and leade their life thereafter: who do not onelyonly behold as in a mirror the glorie of God, but are changed into the same image, 2. Cor. 3. 18. they are truly giuen vntounto Christ, as the Apostle saith of the Macedonians: They gaue them selues first to the Lord, and after to vsus by the will of God: by their fruitfull workes in releeuing the necessitie of the Church, they did professe themselues the faithfull seruants of Christ, truly giuen vntounto him and dedicate to his seruice. Origen saith well: Quemadmodum in corporalibus naturalis quidam attractus mest quibusdam ad alia, vt Magneti ad ferrum, bitumini ad ignem, sic fidei ad diuinam virtutem: In Mat. Homil. 13.As there is in corporall things a naturall attraction, as of the Loadstone to iron, of brimstone to the fire, so there is of faith to the diuine power. Euen so faith draweth vsus, and giueth vsus to Christ, and Christ giueth vntounto vsus eternall life.