Fruitful Lessons Upon the Passion Burial Resurrection Ascension, passion · Commentary 14
Doctrine and fruite.
CHriſt the true, onelyonly, & chiefe Prieſt, who now would offer vp himſelfe to the father vponupon the croſſe for our ſins, after that hee had loued his owne vntounto the end, comforting and ſtrengthening them: turneth nowe himſelfe in an earneſt and feruent praier vntounto his heauenly father, for an enſample and doctrine to his Diſciples and all faithfull beleeuers,How wee ſhould pray. that they in all temptations and afflictions, ſhould with an earneſt and feruent praier, hauehave recourſe vntounto the Father of heauen. That he taught afore in wordes, the ſame declareth hee nowe in the deede. ſhewing not onelyonly what, but alſo how, and after what ſort wee ought to pray: not onelyonly for our ſelues, but alſo for thoſe that are giuen and committed vntounto vsus of God, and whom we hauehave comforted and exhorted. Our eyes and handes ought we to lift vp vntounto heauen, from whence our helpe commeth, which doing is a token of a deuout, humble, & lowly mind. Yea, the eyes, not onelyonly of the body, but alſo of the hart and beleefe.
The ſanctifiyng of Gods name ſhould we chiefly deſireBut vntounto this ende principally ought all our prayers to be directed, that the heauenly father may bee glorified. The deuil the prince of this world, throgh his adherents, cauſeth the name and trueth of Chriſt his doctrine and knowledge, to be rooted out & deſpiſed. Seeing then that wee are Gods children, wee ſhould in nothing bee ſo earneſt, as in ſauing the honour of our father, & in furthering his glory. Which thing commeth to paſſe,What it is to honour the Father. when we notifie to men vponupon earth, his grace, faithfulnes, louelove & great mercy, which he by his only begotten & deare ſon hath declared & ſhewed vntounto mankind: when we lead men vntounto God from earthly vices & falſe Gods ſeruice, & when we direct al things to his glorie. Thus is Chriſt alſo honored and glorified by vsus, when wee through the Goſpell doe publiſh vntounto all men, his power and goodnes, his honor and glorie: when we know, that he is our ſauiour, our righteouſnes, and ſanctifiing: when we know, that the father hath giuen all things into his power: that to thoſe whom the father hath granted to him, hee may giuegive euerlaſting life. Which life euerlaſting conſiſteth in this, that wee knowe the liuing God, & his ſonne Ieſus Chriſt, whom he ſent into this world. For God the father cānot be known without Chriſt Ieſus his ſonne:Iohn. 14. neither is there any mo Gods but only one, on whom wee hope & truſt. The way to God is Chriſt,Chriſt is the way to God whom God therfore ſent downe, that by him the merciemercy and grace of the Father might be opened and appeare vntounto vsus. Wherefore if we wil hauehave eternal life, that is, the knowledge of God, we muſt beleeue in Chriſt, and knowe him: and by him as the way and mediator, we muſt know God the father. Who ſo refuſeth Chriſt, cannot hauehave the Father What ſhould it helpe thee to thinke, that thou knoweſt God the higheſt goodnes of all, if thou hadſt not him by whom thou art deliuered from ſin and eternall plague?
Whereas GOD the originall of all goodneſſe is knowne,The knowledge of God eternall life. and our minde through Chriſt his Sonne aſſured of his grace: namely, that hee is fauourable vntounto vsus, and that hee therefore hath ſeperated vsus out of the world, to the intent that by his ſpirit he might make vsus like vntounto his ſonne, righteous and bleſſed: there doth there ſpring in our hartes a comfortable truſt vntounto God, a louelove, & ſuch ioy, as nothing in this world may be compared vntounto. There alſo doth ariſe in vsus a diligence to keepe his commandements, godly and innocently to liue.The order of our health. Thus commeth our health originally out of the grace & merciemercy of our heauenly Father, who afore the worlde was created, did chuſe vsus in Chriſt Ieſu his Sonne vntounto eternall life, and in the booke of life wrote vp our names. After the ſame did the Father graunt vntounto vsus the Sonne, & gaue him power ouer all men. Nowe that wee are giuen vntounto Chriſt, hee openeth vntounto vsus the name of his Father, through the outward worde, and through his ſpirite in the heart. When wee beleeue in him, (which to do cōmeth alſo of him) then increaſeth the knowledge of God in vsus. Out of that knowledge, groweth an aſſured confidence in God the higheſt good: Of this aſſured truſt commeth louelove towards him. And when God graunteth vsus all this, he ſaueth vsus, and giueth vsus eternall life.
This is an high worthines and honour of Chriſt, in that the father giueth him all things into his hand, that he may giuegive euerlaſting life vntounto faithful beleeuers. No man can hauehave life, but throgh Chriſt. Who ſo beleeueth not in Chriſt, remaineth in death, and the wrath of God-abideth vppon him. But then giueth hee vsus eternall life, when we receiue his worde, and knowe, that he came out from God, and that the father ſent him the Sauiour of the world. And when wee thus are become faithfull beleeuers,What it is to keepe Gods commandements. then keepe we his commaundementes: for faith ſtudieth, and is diligent to pleaſe God. This honour and dignitie of Chriſt, his power and kingdome are firſt opened vntounto the world, after his death and croſſe in the reſurrection and aſcenſion. Of the which honour and glorie wee alſo in due time ſhall (after our meaſure) bee partakers, if we ſuffer with him. For the high Prieſt, who hath prayed for vsus, is heard of the Father, and glorified with eternall honor and glorie. Wherefore we may not doubt, in the remnant that he praieth for ſtill on our behalfe: hee ſhal be, and is for his worthines ſake heard, and hath his requeſt. Of this wee will conſider more.
I Pray for them and pray not for the worlde, but for them whome thou haſt giuen me, for they are thine,Iohn. 17.9. and al mine are thine, and thine are mine: & I am glorified in them. And nowe am I no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to the holy father, keep them in thy name whome thou haſt giuen me, that they may be one as we are. When I was with thē in the world, I kept them in thy name. Thoſe that thou gaueſt mee, hauehave I kept, and none of them is loſt but the loſt childe, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Now come I to thee, and theſe wordes ſpeake I in the world, that they might hauehave my ioy full in them. I hauehave giuen them thy word, and the world hath hated them, becauſe they are not of the world, euen as I am not of the worlde. I deſire not that thou ſhouldeſt take them out of the world, but that thou keepe them from euill. They are not of the world, as I am not of the world. Sanctifie them with thy truth: thy ſaying is truth. As thou ſenteſt mee into the world, ſo hauehave I ſent them into the worlde, and for their ſakes I ſanctifie my ſelfe, that they alſo might be ſanctified through the truth. I pray not for them alone, but for thoſe alſo which ſhall beleeue on mee through their preaching: that they all may bee one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee. and that they may bee alſo one in vsus, that the worlde may beleeue, that thou hast ſent me. And the glorie that thou gauest mee hauehave I giuen them, that they may be one, as we are one, I in them, & thou in me, that they may bee made perfect in one: and that the world may know that thou haſt ſent me, and hast loued them as thou hast loued me.