The Treasure of the Church, Lecture 5
The fifth Lecture.
Vers. 4. I hauehave glorified thee in earth, &c.
THis is the third reason which our Sauiour vseth, for the obtaining of his glorification: that because he had glorified his Father in earth, and finished his worke, that his father would glorifie him againe. He reasoneth from the desert to the reward, which are relatiues, that is, hauehave respect and mutuall relation the one to the other.
That Christ sought the glorie of his father, both himselfe saith it, Ioh. 4. 34. My meate is, that I may do th… will of him that sent me, and finish his worke: and his Father from heauen approueth the same: for after our Sauiour had said: Father, glorifie thy name, there came presently a voice from heauen, saying: I hauehave both glorified it, and will glorifie it againe, Ioh. 12. 28. Whereby it is euident, that as God had bene glorified by the heauenly sermons and diuine miracles shewed by Christ in his life, so also he would set foorth his glorie in his blessed death.
From hence then we learne,Doct. 1. that they which will be assured to receiue glorie at the hands of God in heauen, must indeuour to set foorth his glorie here in earth.
This our Lord promiseth, Reuel. 3. 27. To him that ouercometh, will I graunt to sit with me in my throne, euen as I ouercame & sit with my Father in his throne. He that shall set foorth the kingdome of Christ in this world in ouercoming of sinne, and subduing his owne affections, shall be made partaker of Christs kingdome in heauen.
Thus our Sauior saith to his Apostles, Mat. 19. 28. Verily I say vntounto you, that whē the Sonne of man shall sit in the throne of his maiestie, ye which followed me in the regeneration, shall sit vponupon twelue thrones, and iudge the twelue tribes of Israel. As they in their regeneration expressed the spirituall kingdome of Christ, so they shall enioy the fellowship of his euerlasting kingdome. Saint Paule doth confirm the same by his owne example, 2. Tim. 4. 8. I hauehave fought a good fight, I hauehave finished my course, I hauehave kept the faith, from hence foorth is laid vp for me the crowne of righteousnesse.
For like as they that runne in a race and striue for maisteries, obtain a corruptible crowne, 1. Cor. 9. 25. so they which contend for the Lord, and runne the way of his commaundements, shall receiue an incorruptible crowne. The great king of the Persians hearing out of the Chronicles of the faithfulnesse of Mordecai, which had reuealed the conspiracie of two of the Kings Eunuches against him, presently said: What honour and dignitie hath bene giuen to Mordecai for this? Esth. 6. 3. He thought it vnreasonable that his faithfull seruice should go vnrecompenced. Much more is it iust with God to reward the faithfull seruice of his.
So the Apostle saith, that God the righteous Iudge shall giuegive him the crown of righteousnesse, 2. Timot. 4. 8. This iustice of God is the ground and cause of our reward: which his iustice dependeth not vponupon the merit of our workes, or worthinesse of our obedience, but vponupon the free and most gracious promise of God in Christ: which his most free and mercifull promise, to fulfill and accomplish to his seruants, it standeth with his stable and inuiolable iustice.
First then we see a difference by this doctrine betweene Christ and his members▪ for thogh Christ our head by the desert and merit of his obedience, is worthy of all glorie, Reuel. 4. 11. and might thus pleade with his father for his glorificatiō, because he had glorified him: yet the mē bers cannot challenge any thing at the hands of God,Man cannot chalenge any thing from God by his merits. for any worthinesse that is in them, but onelyonly for their Mediators sake. Nehemiah thus praying, Remember me, O my God, in goodnesse, according to all that I hauehave done for this people: Nehem. 5. 19. requesteth not to be remembred of God because of his faithfulnesse, but according to the same: his faithfulnesse is the rule or measure, but Gods merciemercy is the cause: or else where he confesseth, cap. 13. 22. Remember me ô God concerning this, and pardon me according to thy great merciemercy: but where merit is challēged, there is no merciemercy but iustice shewed: so that as Bernard well saith, Opera non sunt causa regnandi, sed via regni: Good workes are not the cause of raigning, but the way to the kingdome.
Secondly we do learne, that whosoeuer wil be assured to receiue glory in the kingdome of God, must seeke to glorifie him here. He then that dishonoureth God in this life, how can he looke to receiue honour at the hands of God? Consider this well all ye whom God hath honoured in this life, with riches, authoritie, wit, knowledge, take heed that ye rob not God of his glorie, in abusing these gifts to your owne pleasure: as riches to pride and wantonnesse; authoritie, to oppresse or do wrong; wit to deceiue; knowledge, to maintaine errour: for they that thus hide their talent, shall hauehave the reward of the vnthriftie seruant, both to lose the talent, and to be cast themselues into vtter darknesse, Mat. 25. 30. How shall blasphemers that prophane Gods name, drunken and gluttonous persons that make their bellies their gods, proud men that make flesh their arme, how shall they escape, or with what faces can they appeare before the throne of Christ, whō they hauehave so much dishonoured? Happie then are they which make Gods glorie the end of their life, the scope of all their actions, as the Apostle saith: Whether ye eate or drinke, or whatsoeuer ye do else, do all to the glory of God. 1. Cor. 10. 30. Then, come death, come sicknesse, come hell it selfe, such a one shall not be dismaid, his faithfull seruice shall not be forgotten, the remembrance of his obedience, and testimony of his conscience shal be as the anker-hold of his soule: as the Prophet Dauid saith, Psal. 119. This I had because I kept thy commaundements.
I hauehave finished the worke which thou gauest me to do. Christ did not onelyonly begin the worke committed vntounto him, but did finish and make an end thereof, as he him selfe said vponupon the crosse: Consummatum est, it is finished, Iohn 19. 30.
This Scripture teacheth vsus,Doct. 2. Continuance to the end. that it is not sufficient to make a good beginning, or to enter into the professiō of Christs seruice, but we must continue & proceed therein, and hold out vntounto the end. So our Sauior saith, Math. 24. 13. He that endureth to the end, shall be saued. Reu. 2. 26. He that ouercommeth and keepeth my works to the end, to him will I giuegive power ouer nations. What did it profit Herode to reuerence Iohn, and to heare him gladly, and to do many things, and after to cut off his head, Marke 6. or the yong man to hauehave bene trayned vp in the keeping of the law, and afterward to depart from Christ for the louelove he had to his possessions, Marke 10? Therefore Dauid saith, Teach me thy law, and I will keepe it to the end, Psal. 119. 33. He wel knew that his constant and enduring seruice should be acceptable vntounto God.
Like as he that runneth in a race, vnlesse he hold out to the gole, obtaineth not the price: and therefore S. Paul saith, I hauehave finished my course. 2. Tim. 4. 7. As it auailed not Lots wife to hauehave gone out of Sodom and after to looke backe, nor yet the Israelites to hauehave departed out of Egypt, and afterward to long for the fleshpots again: so they shall neuer come to Canaan that are wearie of weldoing, and do as it were runne themselues out of breath before they come to the end of their race.
The meanes then whereby we may be strengthened to continue, and make our obedience perfect, are these: first to renounce our owne strength, & to acknowledge all our power and actiuitie to goodnes, and our abilitie to proceed to perfection, to be of God, as the Prophet saith, Isay 26. 12. Thou hast wrought all our works for vsus: and▪ therefore the Church prayeth, Psal. 68. 28. Thy God hath appointed thy strength: stablish, O Lord, that thou hast wrought in vsus. So shold we pray vntounto God to assist vsus with his grace, and so vphold vsus by his spirit, that we fal not. Secondly, we must take heed, that we rashly enter not into Christs seruice, but do beforehand ca…t all the perils and daungers that may ensue, as he that buildeth an house will count the cost that it will stand him in. Luke 14. 28. This is the cause that many making a shew of zeale, hauing not layed a good foundation, are constrained with shame to giuegive ouer. Thirdly, a continuall circumspection and watchfull care is necessary, that we walke on by feare, alwaies doubting our owne weakenes, and suspecting our strength, as the Apostle sayth: Let him that standeth take heed lest he fal. 1. Cor. 10. 12.
Wherefore let vsus endeuour to be like out maister Christ, to grow to perfection, and to finish the worke which God hath imposed vppon vsus. Many hauehave good thoughts and spirituall motions, but they do not nourish them: they are as vnripe grapes, or as vntimely fruit. Such are compared to negligent builders, who are next to pullers downe. Prouer. 18. 9. He that is slouthfull to do his worke, is the brother of a great waster. Ye are wasters thē, not workmen; destroyers, not repairers; pullers downe, not setters vp, that giuegive ouer in your course, and faint in weldoing.
Vers. 5. And now glorifie me thou Father with thine owne selfe, with the glorie which I had with thee before the world was. This is the fourth reason of our Sauiour his request for his glorification, and it is taken ab aequo from the equitie thereof, and the right which he had to this glorie, it was his owne from all beginning: so that he prayeth onelyonly for the manifestation of that glory in his whole person of God and man, which was due to his godhead before the world was.
From hence then this comfortable doctrine is concluded,Doct. 3. that as this great glory of Christ, being due frō al eternity to his godhead, was decreed to be manifested also in his humane nature: so likewise the glorie of Christs members, which shal be giuen vntounto them in the kingdom of God, was before ordained & appointed in the counsel of God before all worlds.
This Moses testifieth in the Psal. 90. 2. Before the mountaines were made, and before thou hadst formed the earth and the world, euen from euerlasting to euerlasting thou art our God. Thus the Apostle witnesseth, That we were predestinate in Christ to be to the praise of his glorie. Ephes. 1. 12.
This the scriptures testifie of the brethren of Antioch, that as many as were ordained to eternall life, beleeued. Act. 15. 48. S. Paul also testifieth of Clement and other his fellow labourers, that their names were written in the booke of life, Phil. 4. 3.
Therefore in the Reuelation 4. 6. is the world compared to a sea of glasse, because all things are open before God, and he from the beginning did foresee and appoint whatsoeuer shoud fall out in the world: as all things in a glasse are conspicuous and euident. Like as Mat. 20. 2. the husbandman agreeth aforehand what to giuegive to the labourers, before yet they had wrought in the vineyard: so the Lord in Christ appointed saluation to his elect before they had done either good or euil.
The Apostle sheweth the reason hereof, why the Lord according to his gracious purpose hath chosen vsus in Christ. Eph. 3. 10. That the manifold wisedome of God might be made knowne, according to the eternall purpose which he wrought in Christ Iesus our Lord. As the vnspeakable wisdome of God herein appeareth, so also his infinite louelove, in chusing of vsus before yet we were: and therefore the Apostle saith, He hath predestinated vsus through Iesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glorie of his grace. Eph. 16. Gods wisdome then, and his gracious fauour and louelove are manifest in the decree of predestination vntounto glory.
First then, whereas the same glorie is now giuen vntounto Christs whole person, as before was due to his godhead. Hereby a certaine erronious opinion of the Papists is confuted, which affirme that Christ merited his owne glorification: for this were to say, that the glory of the godhead could be merited. And againe, all that Christ did he wrought for vsus:Christ merited not for himselfe. as he prayed not for himselfe, but for vsus: as Iohn 11. 41. Father I thank thee that thou hast heard me, I know that thou hearest me alwayes, but because of the people that stand by, I said it. So likewise when a voice was heard from heauē, (whē Christ had said, Father glorifie thy name) I hauehave glorified it, and will glorifie it againe. Iesus answered, this voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Iohn 12. 30. Again our Sauiour saith, For their sakes sanctifie I my selfe. Iohn 17. 19. His precious death and sacrifice, wherin he did offer and sanctifie himselfe vntounto God, was wholly for vsus. Ambrose saith, Non suae emerendae graetiae, sed nostrae eruditionis causa ieiunauit: He fasted not to merite grace for himselfe, but to instruct vsus. Non sui sed nostri causa pauper factus: He became poore, not for his owne but for our sakes. His birth, life, death, resurrection, were all for our sakes, not to gaine any thing to himselfe, for the glorie of the godhead was due vntounto Christ, at the very first instance of his incarnation: as the Apostle saith, when he bringeth in his first begotten Sonne into the world, he saith: Let all the Angels of God worship him, Heb. 1. 6. but the manifestation of this his glorie came afterward. So that where the Scripture saith, Reuel. 4. 11. Thou art worthie to receiue honor, &c. it is to be vnderstood, not of the purchasing of any honour which he had not, but of the manifestation thereof: yet to vsus, and for our cause, he hath worthily and infinitely merited.
Secondly, seeing the Lord hath appointed a kingdome of glorie for his, this ought to comfort and establish vsus against all temptation, as our Sauiour saith: Feare not litle flocke, it is your Fathers will to giuegive you a kingdome, Luk. 12. And it ought to be our chiefest care to rise vp, grow, and increase in the assurance and vndoubted expectation of this heauenly glorie: that we may at the length be perswaded with Saint Paule, that neither life nor death, height nor depth, things present, or to come, are able to remoue vsus from the louelove of God in Christ▪ Rom. 8.