The Treasure of the Church, Lecture 6
The sixth Lecture.
Vers. 6. I hauehave declared thy name to the men which thou hast giuen me out of the world.
THe request of our Sauior being now made for his glorification, he commeth to make request for his Church: and first for his Apostles and other beleeuers then being, from vers. 6. to vers. 20. where we hauehave first the preparation to the prayer, vers. 6. to 9. then the petition it selfe for his disciples, that God would keepe them in the world from euill, vers. 9. to vers. 20. In the preparation is set foorth the obedience of the Apostles in receiuing & keeping the word of Christ: and the causes thereof: the principall their election, vers. 6. Thine they were: the instrumentall meanes, Christs doctrine and preaching, I hauehave declared thy name vntounto them.
The declaring of the name of God is nothing else, but the manifesting of the will of God, and publishing of his counsel concerning the saluation of the world by Christ.
First then we are taught here,Doct. 1. that the word of God is onelyonly effectually declared to those that are giuen vntounto Christ out of the world, and are marked vntounto saluation: others may heare it,The word of God profitable onelyonly to the elect. but it is not profitable vntounto them.
1 Thus the Apostle saith: If our Gospell be hid, it is hid to those that are lost, 2. Cor. 4. 3. to them then that are not lost, it cannot be hid.
2 Christ saith to his Apostles, Mat. 13 11. It is giuen to you to know the secrets of the kingdome of heauen, but vntounto them it is not giuen. It appeareth then that the Gospell shall be reuealed vntounto, and receiued by all them to whom it is giuen: the rest, (though the word of God be offered vntounto them) they shall not hauehave grace to beleeue it: As the Apostles Paule and Barnabas said to the Iewes, Act. 13. 46. It was necessarie that the word of God should first hauehave bene spoken vntounto you: but seeing you put it from you, and iudge your selues vnworthie of eternall life, loe we turne to the Gentiles.
3 Like as the Ma…na did not profite those that vsed it not as God commaunded them; for it stunke, and was full of wormes, Exod. 16. 20. and they which lusted after quailes died; the flesh being yet betweene their teeth, Num. 11. 33. so the word of God profiteth not those, which thankfully receiue it not.
4 The reason the Apostle sheweth, Heb. 4. 2. The word which they heard profited not them, because it was not mixed with faith in those that heard it. Hereof it is, because all men hauehave not faith, 2. Thes. 3. 2. but only those that are giuen vntounto Christ, to such onelyonly is the word of God effectually taught. Like as the bread of the house is onelyonly for the houshold, as the prodigall child faith: In my fathers house is bread enough, Luk. 15. 17. so the word of God is ordained for none but those that are of Gods house, that is, true members of his Church.
5 Hereby then, as by a most sure mark, eueryevery man may learne to discerne of his election,The attentiue hearing of the word, a marke of our effectuall vocation. if he hauehave a desire too, and a delight in the word of God. For like as a man is iudged to be sicke and diseased, when his stomacke cannot brooke nor digest wholesome meates: so the soule of that man cannot be sound, to whom the word of God hath no pleasa…t tast. But when a man can say with the Prophet Dauid, Psal. 19. 10. Thy word is sweeter to me then the honie or honie combe. By this we may gather an assured trust, that we are giuen vntounto Christ, if we do continue in hauing delight stil, and finding comfort in the word: for otherwise a sicke man may hauehave some while a rellish of his meat, when there is some intermission of the disease, but it holdeth not long: so is it with them, that hauehave for a while some tast of the word of God, and afterward fall away. Ambrose saith well vponupon those words:In Psal. 119. Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth: Osculatur nos verbum Dei, quando sensum nostrum spiritus cognitionis illuminat: the word of God doth kisse vsus, when the spirit of knowledge doth illuminate our minds.
Thine they are, and thou gauest them me, and they hauehave kept thy word:] Thine they are by election, giuen vntounto me by their spirituall vocation and calling: they keep thy word, which is the fruite of their sanctification.
The keeping then of the word of God,Doct. 2. is the fruite and effect of our election, not the cause or foundation thereof: therefore we do good workes, because we are elected thereunto: we are not elected because of our good workes.
1 This Saint Paule sheweth, Ephes. 1. 4. He hath chosen vsus in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in louelove: our holinesse is an effect and consequent of our election in Christ, not a precedent cause thereof.
2 This is exemplified in Esau and Iacob Rom. 9. 11. Ere the children were borne, when they had done neither good nor euill, that the purpose of God might remain according to election, not by workes, &c. The Apostle directly noteth, that the election of Iacob depended not vponupon his workes, which as yet were not, but onelyonly vponupon Gods gracious purpose. Saint Paul confesseth so of himselfe, that he was not called to be an Apostle, or put into Christs seruice, for any thing that God saw to be in him; but the grace of God was exceeding abundant with faith and louelove, which is in Christ Iesus, 1. Tim. 1. 14. and I was receiued to merciemercy, vers. 13. And the Apostle ascendeth to the very first originall and beginning of his calling, Reuel. 1. 1. foreign, separated (in the eternall counsell of God) to preach the Gospell.
3 The Prophet Ezechiel doth set foorth this truth of Gods free and gracious election by an allegorie, of a child, that in the birth was cast foorth, forlorne, and forsaken, the nauell not cut, nor yet washed with water, or swadled in clowts; but it lay wallowing and tumbling in bloud: the Lord passed by, and had compassion vponupon it, tooke it as his owne: so it grew and became comely and beautifull, &c. Ezech. vers. 4. 8. What cause was there in this child, that the Lord should hauehave respect vntounto it? but onelyonly the Lords louelove and fauour which he had vntounto it: as it followeth, vers. 14. Thy name was spread abroad among the heathen, because of thy beautie: for it was perfect through my beautie, which I had set vponupon thee. Euen so in vsus the Lord saw no cause, why he should elect vsus vntounto life, onelyonly through his owne merciemercy he saued vsus.
4 Saint Paule sheweth the reason of our free and gracious election, Ephes. 1. 5. He hath predestinate vsus to be adopted through Iesus Christ vntounto himselfe, &c. to the praise of the glorie of his grace: that is, now God onelyonly hath the glorie of our election, when it is imputed wholly to his grace.
5 First then the doctrine of the Papists is confuted, who teach, that men are elected vponupon the foresight of their faith and workes: which is flat contrarie to the doctrine of the Apostle, Rom. 9. 14. It is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that sheweth merciemercy. Thus the Church beleeued in Ambrose his time: Dignatione sua olim decreuit Deus peccatores saluos facere,In 2. Tim. cap. 1. &c. vt neque merito suo, qui saluantur, neque horum per quos vocantur, &c. God by his owne vouchsafing hath long ago decreed to saue sinners, &c. so that not by the merit of those which are saued, nor of them by whom they are called, but by the grace of God, this gift is conferred.
Secondly, seeing God hath shewed vsus so great merciemercy, as before we were any thing, to decree vsus vntounto saluation: we hereby should be stirred vp to walke worthie of our vocation. Ephes. 4. 1. and to shew our selues thankfull vntounto God againe by liuing vntounto his praise.
Vers. 7. Now they know, Doct 3.that all things which thou hast giuen me, are of thee.] From this verse this doctrine is gathered, that it is not possible for any to receiue the word of God, vnlesse they be perswaded and assured indeed, that it is the word of God, and that he which deliuereth the same, speaketh from God. As here this reason is giuen, why the Apostles receiued the word of God, because they knew that Christ came from God, and that all things which he spake and did were of God.
1. This the Apostle sheweth, 1. Cor. 14. 25. speaking of the power of the word of God: If all prophecie, and there come in one that beleeueth not, the secrets of his heart are made manifest, and he will fall downe and worship, and say plainely that God is in you indeede. This perswasion of the hearer that God is in the preacher, doth make the word pierce into his heart, that the secrets thereof are discouered.
2. This appeareth by that confession of Peter, when Christ had said to the twelue, will ye also goe away? Iohn. 6, 67. Maister, saith he, to whome shall we go, thou hast the words of eternall life. Peter will not go from Christ, because he beleeued, that he was a teacher from God, to shew the way to eternall life. This made Nicodemus come vntounto Christ, because he knew he was a teacher come from God. Iohn. 3. 2.
3. Like as the embassadour is reuerenced & his message willingly receiued, because he commeth in the name, and with the authoritie of the Prince: so saith S. Paul, we are Ambassadors for Christ, 2. Cor. 5. 20. 4. The reason the Apostle sheweth, Heb. 4. 12. The word of God is liuely and mightie in operation, and sharper then any two edged sword, and entreth thorough to the deuiding of the soule and the spirit: such operation hath the word, whereas it is receiued and acknowledged for the word of God.
The people are taught, that where the truth is preached, and the word of God manifestly taught, they should receiue it with all reuerence as Gods word: as the Apostle testifieth of the Thessalonians, 1. Thess. 2. 13. For this cause I thanke my God without ceasing, that when ye receiued of vsus the word of the preaching of God, ye receiued it not as the word of men, but as it is indeed the word of God, which also worketh in you that beleeue.