Fruitful Lessons Upon the Passion Burial Resurrection Ascension, passion · Commentary 4
Doctrine and fruite.
WHen the Diſciples of Chriſt heard of his death and departing, what trouble ſhould fall vponupon them, and what ſhould happen vntounto them through the weakenes of the fleſh, they were verie heauie and diſmayed, for they had great louelove vntounto the Lorde, and loath were they to departe from him, and yet might they not followe him at this time.Aduerſitie. Therfore louingly doth the Lord comfort and ſtrengthen them, ſaying; Be not afraide, let not your heart be troubled. This comfort is ſpoken vntounto vsus all: for while wee liue heere, wee muſt looke for much trouble and aduerſitie, whereof ſpringeth many times heauines, feare and vnpatiencie in our fleſh. Therefore Chriſt, who corporally is abſent frō vsus,Patience. but preſent among vsus with his grace, ſpeaketh vntounto vsus inwardly by his ſpirit in our hearts, or outwardly by his word and exhortation, comfortably ſtrengthening, and mightily comforting our feeblenes, giuing vsus gladneſſe alſo in ſorrow.
To be without aduerſitie (if it pleaſe God otherwiſe) is not good for vsus: to be raſh and heady is hurtfull. Therefore bringeth he vsus in betweene feare & hope, that we ſhould turne neither to the right hand nor to the left. Much aduerſitie ſuffereth he to come vntounto vsus, ſo that oft times fearefulnes and ſorrow falleth on vsus: but this keepeth vsus in his awe,Meeknes. cutteth our combe, bringeth downe our pride, and humbleth vsus. Out of this wee learne, that if any humane infirmitie and feeblenes fall vppon vsus, as it did vponupon the Diſciples in the Lordes paſſion, wee ſhall not vtterly deſpaire, nor fall away through fearfulnes: but remember, that in this time it happeneth ſo of courſe, that wee muſt ſuffer and beare much trouble and aduerſitie, to the intent, that the glorie and power of GOD may bee opened in our weakeneſſe: and yet in all aduerſitie muſt wee bee manly and ſtout, valiauntly fighting for his names ſake. And though of weakneſſe we bee fallen in the field, yet will he hauehave compaſſion vponupon vsus, and graciouſly forgiue our fall.The feare of God. For who would not bee afraide to fall, when the earneſt and feruent Apoſtle Peter fell ſo ſore, and all the other Diſciples fledde from the Lorde? If this chaunced to the beloued Diſciples, no man need to thinke the contrary, but the like may happen vntounto him. Hee that ſtandeth, let him ſtande faſt in the feare of God, and looke that he fall not.
Chriſt vntounto his owne that ſtande in this conflict and daungerous battaile,Faith. giueth the ſhield or target of faith, which they caſt vp, and receiue all ſtrokes & ſhotte therein. Beleeue ye in mee (ſaith he.) Who ſo beleeueth in Chriſt, beleeueth in God, for Chriſt is God. This faith giueth ſtrength, and ouercommeth all aduerſitie. As if Chriſt would ſay; Bee not afraide by reaſon of my bodily abſence. Thogh ye ſee me no more frō henceforth with bodily eyes, yet with my grace and comfort will not I forſake you, but be with you vntill the end of the world. I wil alway remaine with you: OnelyOnly looke that ye beleeue in mee, continuing and cleauing faſt vntounto mee with the beleefe of the hart, ſo will I defend, deliuer, and ſaue you for euer. Be not afraid for anie aduerſitie: put your confidence in mee. After your trouble, there is prepared for you an excellent great ioy, and an exceeding vnſpeakeable reward.Eternall reward. For in my Fathers houſe are many dwellings, which from euerlaſting hauehave been prepared for all the elect, that beleeue in me, and follow mee vnderunder the croſſe. I will not deceiue you, I will ſhew you no vnfaithfull touch, I will not diſappoint you, into no fools paradiſe nor falſe hope wil I bring you. If the manſions were not prepared for you in my Fathers houſe, I would tell it you: but doubt ye not in my promiſe, fall ye not off from faith & hope, ſtay your beleefe and affiance ſtedfaſtly vppon mee, hope vndoubtedly for the dwellings to come, which are ordained and prepared of my Father for you. Heere is nothing but miſerie and trouble, here is no abiding, no dwelling, but a pilgrimage. Heere ye are among ſtraungers: but in my Fathers houſe are many dwellinges, not onelyonly for mee, but alſo for you. And foraſmuch as now through my death I will furniſh and perfectly open and make an entraunce into the ſame dwellings, which were prepared for you of my Father afore the creation of the world: bee not you therefore diſmayed by reaſon of my death.Chriſtes death our life. My death ſhall bee your life and ſaluation. Through my death go I before you, & make you a way vntounto heauen. Looke what the Father of his gratious goodnes hath ordained for you from euerlaſting, that will not hee giuegive you, but through mee. Therefore muſt I die, and with my death open you the entrance vntounto life.
And albeit that through my death and aſcenſion I ſhall corporally depart from you, yet will I not faile you, neither forſake you.The fruite of the death of Chriſt. Like as by my death I open vntounto you the entrance into the heauenly manſions: ſo will I ſend you my holie ſpirite, who ſhall furniſh you, and make you meete for ſuch dwellings. That I go from you, it is doone for your wealth: therefore be not ſorie, that I open the dwellings vntounto you: I wil come to you againe, and receiue you to my ſelfe, that ye may alwaies be with me in my Fathers kingdome. For he that ſerueth me, ſhall alſo bee eternally with mee in my Fathers houſe: thither will I bring you through my power and grace: feare yee not, & beleeue in me. Thus ye know whither I go, namely, vntounto the Father, to worke your welfare: yee knowe alſo through what way yee muſt followe mee, euen through faith and aduerſitie. Abide yee ſtedfaſt in faith, and put your truſt in me, ſo will I be your faithfull mediatour and atturney in the preſence of God my Father.
And if we would ſay as Thomas did, that we know not the way, the Lord Ieſus inſtructeth vsus further,Chriſt is the onelyonly way. & ſaith: that he is the way, the truth, and the life. This ought we poore ſinners well to faſten in our hartes, that Chriſt is the onelyonly way which bringeth vsus vntounto God, and that no man may come vntounto the father but by him. We ſhould not therefore erect or chooſe vntounto our ſelues anie other waie. OnelyOnly by Chriſt muſt we come vntounto God: this hath hee ſpoken that is the truth it ſelfe, & cannot lie. In the way is he our guide, and by it he leadeth vsus vntounto himſelfe, and ſo by himſelfe vntounto God. Thorough this waie we come to life, and though we muſt die in aduerſitie for his ſake, yet in him we finde eternall life, for hee is the life and reſurrection, Who ſo beleeueth on him cannot die, but commeth out of death into life, and though hee die, yet ſhall he liue in him euerlaſtingly.
Furthermore, we muſt take ſure hold vponupon Chriſts promiſe, which in life and death ſhal ſtrengthen and comfort vsus, in that he promiſeth vsus he will giuegive vsus all that we deſire in his name. Wherefore in all our neceſſitie and trouble, we ought to hauehave recourſe onelyonly vntounto him, or vntounto God his father, in his name. And then doe we praie in his name, when wee deſire that which may ſerue to the honour of his father, that the father may be honored through the ſonne, and in the ſonne, when we deſire ſuch wholeſome good things as the ſpirit of Chriſt moueth vsus vntounto.
All this doth ſtirre vp in vsus patience, peace, ioy in the holy Ghoſt, beleefe in Chriſt, who is our God & h…ad, whom by his doctrine and wonderful miracles we hauehave learned to be verie good in deede. The holy Scripture alſo both of the old and new Teſtament doth ſufficiently declare the ſame, as Eſa. 7.9.42.49.62. Iere 23.33. Mich. 5. Zach. 13. Mala. 3.
What doth hee els in his whole Goſpell, but euidently and ſtrongly proue, that Ieſus is verie God? as in the 1.2.3.4.5.6.7. Chapters, yea, in all.
Chriſt calleth himſelfe the ſonne of God, & teacheth eueryevery where, that we ought to beleue on him: now if he were not verie true God, then had hee deceiued vsus, then had he taught vsus wrong, & then were he himſelfe a falſe teacher, for wee muſt beleeue in none ſaue onelyonly in God. If Chriſt nowe were not God, how ſhould wee beleeue in him? If he were a falſe teacher, then woulde not the father hauehave commanded vsus to heare him: then had not he ſpoken frō heauen theſe wordes, This is my dearely beloued ſonne, heare him: then had not hee alſo confirmed his cauſe with miracles, raiſed him vp from death, taken him vp into heauen, and ſet him on his right hand: For he hateth all lyers, and hath no pleaſure in the wicked.
Iohan. 8. Afore Abraham was, I am. Chriſt ſayth, that the father hath giuen him all power in heauen and earth. Matth. 28. Which ſentence alone, were ſufficient and ſtrong inough, to proue, that Chriſt is God, for God giueth his glorie and honor to none other, Eſa. 42. he ſayth alſo, that what the father hath, it is his, Ioh. 17. And Iohn. 20. ſayth Thomas vntounto Chriſt: My Lord and my God, by him were all things created, Iohn. 1. Col. 1. Then muſt he needs be God, for no creature is the maker or creatour of all things. Paule ſayth, He is the wiſedome of God. 1. Corinth. 1. The wiſedome of GOD is eternall, Prouerbes. 8. Eccle. 24. Romanes, 1.9. In the Epiſtle to the Hebrues, what doth Paule elſe euen from the beginning, vntill hee come farre within it, but bring in teſtimonies, that Chriſt is verie God? Iohn ſaith: Euerie ſpirite which confeſſeth, that Ieſus came in the fleſh, is of God. Out of the which it followeth, that as concerning his diuine nature, hee was from euerlaſting afore he came in the fleſh. Item, Paule to the Hebrews ſaith: God tooke vponupon him the ſeede of Abraham: then muſt hee needes be eternall God, before the humanitie was. As alſo Iohn ſaith: The word was God, and the word became man. Item: No man hath ſeen God at any time. The ſonne of God which is in the Fathers boſome, hee hath opened it vntounto vsus. Iohn. 3. Saith Chriſt: No man aſcendeth into heauen, ſaue hee that came downe from heauen. Now canſt thou not ſay, that hee came downe as touching his humane nature, for that tooke hee firſt vponupon him in the Virgin Mary, Luke. 1. Then muſt it needes bee true, that he came downe concerning his Godhead: as he oft ſaith, I came forth from the father. And Paul Phil. 2. He tooke vppon him the ſhape of a ſeruant. Who? God. Alſo Iohn. 17. he ſaith: Glorifie thou me (ô Father) with the glorie and honour, which I had with thee afore the world was created. And 1. Iohn. 5. Wee knowe that the Sonne of God is come, and hath giuen vsus vnderſtanding to knowe him, who is the true God. And we are in him that is true, euen in his Son Ieſus Chriſt: the ſame is the true God, and the eternall l…fe.
Seeing then that God hath giuen vsus his Sonne to bee our righteouſnes, our ſanctification, ſauiour, redeemer, raunſome, life, light, and head, to beleeue & truſt in him, and finally by him to be ſaued, hee muſt needs then be the true liuing God, els might not, neither ſhould our hart truſt nor cleaue vntounto him. This ought a beleeuing heart, fully and well to take holde of, and ſteadfaſtly to ſtand therevpon.
IF ye louelove me keepe my commaundements, and I will pray the father, and hee ſhall giuegive you another comforter, that hee may bide with you for euer: euen the ſpirite of truth, whom the world cannot receiue, becauſe the world ſeeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and ſhalbe in you, I will not leaue you comfortleſſe, but will come to you. Yet a little while and the world ſeeth me no more, but ye ſee me, for I liue, and yee ſhall liue. That daie ſhall ye know that I am in my father, and you in me, and I in you: He that hath my commaundements and keepeth them, the ſame is he that loueth me: and he that loueth me, ſhall be loued of my father: and I will louelove him, and will ſhewe mine owne ſelfe vntounto him. Iudas ſaid vntounto him (not Iudas Iſcarioth) Lorde what is the cauſe that thou wilt ſhewe thy ſelfe vntounto vsus and not vntounto the worlde? Ieſus anſwered and ſaid vntounto him, if a man louelove me he will keepe my ſayings, and my Father will louelove him, and wee wil come vntounto him, and wil dwell with him. He that loueth me not, keepeth not my ſayings: and the wordes which yee heare, are not mine, but the Fathers which hath ſent me.